China's first 100-million-ton coal production base has gone into operation in the Shenfu-Dongsheng coalfield, said the Economic Daily on Friday.

    The coal base, located along the boundary between Shaanxi Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, both in north China, was developed by the Shendong Power Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the country's largest coal producer - the Shenhua Group.

    By December 23, the Shendong company announced its annual coal output in 2005 has exceeded one million tons.

    Shendong's output now makes up about 5 percent of the national total. In 2004, the Shenhua Group ranked the fifth worldwide in term of coal production.

    According to China's future strategy for coal industry, China plans to build three to five large-scale coal bases each with an annual output exceeding one million tons