Inner Mongolia produced over 6.1 billion tonnes of coal during the 14th "Five-Year Plan" period, ensuring supply for 29 provinces and regions across China, the head of the region's coal industry association said on June 30.

Liu Jin, president of Inner Mongolia Coal Industry Association, told a conference in Hohhot that the region had built 230 intelligent coal mines by the end of 2025, with intelligent capacity accounting for 93% of the total, leading the nation.

Green mine construction has advanced, with substantial progress in open-pit ecological restoration, underground backfill mining and comprehensive coal gangue utilization, Liu said. Areas like Ordos are promoting modern coal chemical chain upgrades, shifting coal from a single fuel source to a diversified role as fuel, raw material and chemical feedstock, moving away from the traditional "dig and sell" model.

As the 15th "Five-Year Plan" period begins, the coal industry faces the dual mission of ensuring energy supply and driving transformation, Liu said, stressing the need to maintain energy security and accelerate industrial upgrading.

Liu called for strengthening safe supply foundations, optimizing large-scale advanced capacity layouts, and improving coordination across production, transport, storage and sales. He urged deeper intelligent construction, wider application of AI and other new-generation information technologies in both underground and open-pit mines, and breakthroughs in key areas such as transparent geology, intelligent tunneling, unmanned driving and unmanned inspection.

He also advocated for green development, promoting backfill mining and water-preserving mining, accelerating commercial application of carbon capture, ultra-low emission and solid waste recycling technologies, and exploring integrated development of coal with wind and solar power. Ecological restoration and circular economy systems should be closely tied to industrial transformation, he added.

Liu said the modernization, intelligent and green transformation of the coal industry requires coordinated efforts from government, enterprises and research institutions to find a new path suited to Inner Mongolia's resource endowment and industrial characteristics.