TAIYUAN, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- North China's Shanxi Province shut down 36 coal mines in 2018, cutting 23.3 million tonnes of production capacity, according to local authorities.

The mines have been identified as outdated ones, suffering mineral resource depletion and having safety hazards.

To improve its coal industrial structure and cut overcapacity, Shanxi has closed 88 coal mines and slashed nearly 70 million tonnes of outdated production capacity since 2016.

Meanwhile, the province has striven to increase its advanced coal production capacity. As of the end of September, the province's advanced coal production capacity has increased to 582 million tonnes, accounting for 57 percent of the provincial total.

According to a plan regarding the reduction and reconstruction of the coal mining industry in Shanxi, coal mines with an annual output below 600,000 tonnes will be closed by 2020.