China's coal demand may surpass 3 billion tonnes in 2010, a senior official with the China Coal Industry Association predicted on Monday.

Wang Xianzheng, president of the association, said at an industry meeting that the country now has 2.034 billion tonnes annual coal production capacity.

He added that a total amount of 1.104 billion tonnes of coal output capacity is scheduled to be under construction, among which around 200 million tonnes has been approved.

Figures showed that the country's crude coal production volume increased from 1.415 billion tonnes in 2002 to 2.536 billion tonnes in 2007, up 12.38 percent year on year.

Wang, also the deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety, said China now is endeavoring to build 13 large coal production bases.

Those coal bases would be formed in the country's coal-rich Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Henan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia to ensure stable supply of coal in the country.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2008)