TAIYUAN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- North China's coal-rich Shanxi Province has closed 36 mines and cut 23.3 million tonnes of mining capacity in 2018, local authorities said.

Of the coal mines that have been shut down, 19 were previously in operation with a total production capacity of 13.6 million tonnes, and 17 were under construction with a combined 9.7 million tonnes of capacity.

The provincial land and resources department canceled 26 mining licenses and suspended another eight.

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industrial structure and cut overcapacity, Shanxi has closed 88 coal mines and slashed nearly 70 million tonnes of outdated production capacity since 2016.

With an accumulated 16.2 billion tonnes of coal production from 1949 to 2014, one-quarter of China's total, the province will further improve its coal industrial structure and promote advanced coal production capacity.