China National Coal's August output rises to record

China National Coal Group, the country's second-biggest supplier of the fuel by sales, said production rose to a record 10.07 million metric tons in August because of surging domestic demand.

Output reached 69.7 million tons in the first eight months, Beijing-based China National Coal said in a statement on the Web site of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. It didn't give comparative figures.

China uses coal to generate about 78 percent of the electricity produced in the world's fastest-growing major economy. The nation increased coal output 8.1 percent to 2.33 billion tons last year and aims to produce 2.6 billion tons by 2010.

"The record output will help the company meet the full-year target of 100 million tons,'' the state-owned coal producer said in its statement, posted Monday.

China National Coal's production rose 26 percent to 90.62 million tons in 2006, it said in January.

First-quarter output reached 24.63 million tons, while output of coke used by steelmakers surged 34 percent to 1.17 million tons, it said in April.

China Coal Energy Co., China National Coal's Hong Kong- listed unit, raised HK$1.7 billion ($218 million) in an initial share sale in December. Shenhua Group Corp. is the country's largest producer by sales.