China's State Council in September proposed a ban on the production, import, sale and consumption of coal that does not meet particular quality standards in a bid to control pollution levels. The draft proposal, which did not include details on coal specifications, is available for public comment until October 8. The government intends to set medium and long-term targets to control total coal consumption, gradually reducing the share of the fossil fuel in its energy mix and optimizing the way that coal is used, it said. In its 12th five-year plan, running from 2011-2015, the government targeted a reduction in coal's share of the energy mix to 65% from around 70% at the end of 11th Five-Year Plan period in 2010. This did not include a cap on total consumption.
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