It is reported that China has discovered an 89.2 billion tonne coal reserve at Sha'er Lake in northwest Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region which experts say is the largest of its kind in Asia.

Mr Wei Cheng deputy director of the Sha'er coal field excavation headquarters said "We have submitted an exploitation plan for the super-large coal field to the central authorities. Once approved, the exploitation will officially begin."

He said that prospecting experts have spent a year calculating the coal field's reserves.

He added that "The coal quality is fine with low sulphur, low phosphorus, low ash, high caloricity and relatively fewer harmful elements."

Reports estimate there are coal reserves of over 2 trillion tonnes in Xinjiang or about 40% of China total coal reserves.

(Sourced from China Daily)