April daily average coal output at 12.72 mln T vs 13.46 mln T in March
Mining capacity expansion offsets coal mine closures
May coal output to stay low amid weak power demand

SINGAPORE, May 16 Reuters China39;s average daily coal production dipped in April from a record level a month ago, official data showed on Tuesday, as some miners trimmed output because of harsh weather and as demand fell.

China produced 381.45 million tonnes of coal last month, up 4.5 from a year earlier and down 8.6 from March, data from the National Bureau of Statistics NBS showed.

The daily average output in April was equivalent to 12.72 million tonnes versus a record 13.46 million tonnes in March, according to Reuters calculations based on NBS data.

Over the first four months of 2023, China produced 1.53 billion tonnes of coal, 4.8 higher than the same period in 2022.

Production fell from March as unseasonable snow hit Inner Mongolia in early April, forcing some openpit mines to shut down and slowing road transportation.

Additionally, a 30day maintenance project at the major coal transporting railway from Datong to the port of Qinhuangdao limited logistics and capped output growth at coal mines.

Coal output also rose yearonyear even as major mining regions such as Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shaanxi tightened safety inspections after a deadly accident in late February.

Some 32 coal mines with combined capacity of 50.1 million tonnes were shut down because of safety concerns.

The…