China's coal consumption falls by 4.62 per cent in first three quarters

China's coal consumption has fallen by 4.62 per cent to 2.72 billion tonnes in the first three quarters this year as the world's top carbon emitter continues to cut production to promote clean and efficient usage of the fossil fuel.

China, which is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal, will enforce a strict limit on total coal consumption and reduce its ratio in primary energy consumption from 66 per cent this year to around 50 per cent by 2050, said the National Coal Association.

Measures were needed to ensure the sustainable development of the coal industry. China will promote the clean, efficient usage of coal by using some of the world's most advanced process to support the industrial upgrade, said Li Haofeng, deputy director of the coal office under the National Energy Administration.

The country will step up coal market reform, and strengthen cooperation between China and other countries with huge coal production and consumption, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In the first three quarters this year, China produced 2.72 billion tonnes of coal, down 4.62 per cent year on year, according to China Coal Transportation and Sale Society.

Last year, utilisation rates at China's thermal power generators fell to a lowest ever 53.7 per cent, down from 57.3 per cent in 2013.

China's coal imports fell 11 per cent last year compared to the previous year, the first annual decline in at least a decade.