A catastrophic gas explosion in China’s top coal-producing province exposes the human toll of Beijing’s increased coal output during ongoing disruptions to oil and gas supply.

By Probe International

A shocking gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province on May 22, has killed at least 82 people, injured more than 120 and left others missing, marking the deadliest mining disaster since 2009.

Public anger swiftly followed over alleged safety lapses and rule violations at the site, reviving memories of the frequent coal mining fatalities that plagued China’s “golden decade” of coal production in the 2000s, prompting a crackdown on thousands of illegal coal mines in small towns and villages.

Authorities say the cause remains under investigation, but preliminary findings indicate that the Shanxi Tongzhou Coal & Coke Group, the company that operates the privately owned mine, committed “serious illegal violations.”

In 2024, Liushenyu joined a list of 1,128 mines flagged for “serious safety hazards” by China’s National Mine Safety Administration. In 2025, the company faced administrative penalties twice for safety violations. Tongzhou’s executives have been detained, and all four of the group’s mines in Shanxi province were ordered to suspend operations. Gas accidents remain a top focus in China, especially in warmer seasons when pressure dynamics increase risks.

Various news sources report some members of the mine’s underground workforce (out of 247 workers on duty) entered without mandatory facial recognition registration or tracking devices (which were either not issued or not activated). Blueprints provided to authorities did not match the actual mine layout, confusing the location of trapped workers during the rescue effort. The company allegedly overstaffed beyond registered numbers, which contributed to “chaotic” post-accident scenes. One Weibo user questioned why the number of people at the mine reported by state media was double the official count listed by Tongzhou Group: “Was it to exceed production limits? To reduce costs? Or to conceal the number of workers during an accident?”

Shanxi’s Huashang Daily asked “what exactly happened in between” the initial death toll report of eight and its sudden increase to 90 (later reduced to 82): “Such a huge discrepancy in the initial data released by the county emergency management bureau makes it hard not to question whether there was delayed reporting, concealment, or data distortion in the initial report.”

The Liushenyu tragedy occurs against a backdrop of intensified coal output and falling stockpiles in recent months. China has aggressively ramped up domestic coal production to shield its economy from imported energy risks, hitting a record high in 2025 and relying on coal as the backbone for power, steel, chemicals, and broader electrification goals. This strategy has buffered the country against the ongoing disruption to oil and gas supplies via the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war. However, the disaster underscores the steep trade-offs: breakneck output targets have overstretched mines, equipment, and oversight.

Nationwide safety inspections and heightened enforcement are now expected, following historical patterns after major incidents. Regional authorities have already ordered checks on gas, water, and roof hazards, while multiple nearby mines — including nearly all coking coal operations in Shanxi’s Qinyuan county — have suspended production. With summer power demand rising and coal stockpiles tightening amid falling output in recent months, the crackdown risks higher energy prices, supply strains, or even industrial power curbs.

While China has significantly reduced mining accidents over the past decade, deep structural problems remain. Local officials face conflicting pressures — delivering on Beijing’s production and energy security mandates while meeting safety standards — often leading to lax enforcement. Experts note that responses typically scapegoat provincial figures without addressing central governance incentives that prioritize output.

China, already the world’s largest coal producer and consumer (accounting for over half of global use), has accelerated approvals and construction of new coal-fired power plants. In 2024, authorities permitted 66.7 GW and saw construction starts on 94.5 GW—the highest levels since 2015—with the trend continuing into 2025-2026 to ensure grid stability amid import risks and variable renewables.

Policy documents, including elements of the 14th Five-Year Plan, frame coal as a strategic “guarantee” for energy security, centered on major bases in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and elsewhere. Domestic production dominates, with imports serving mainly as a buffer. While not a direct one-for-one replacement (oil primarily fuels transport and refining, while coal powers electricity, steel, and chemicals), analysts note that oil/gas disruptions have explicitly boosted demand for coal as a reliable alternative.

Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, posted an article soon after the Liushenyu blast acknowledging the vital role coal plays in China’s energy security, and the contribution of Shanxi Province in particular. He noted that while national safety outcomes had improved markedly, risks persisted, and the country had yet to fundamentally resolve longstanding safety problems in its mining industry.

The most recent tragedy echoes Shanxi’s darkest chapter in May 1960 after a methane gas explosion at the Laobaidong coal mine in Datong, which resulted in the deaths of 684 miners. Because the disaster occurred during the Great Leap Forward — a period of aggressive industrialization under Chairman Mao Zedong — Chinese authorities suppressed all media coverage and public discussion of the incident, successfully burying the event for more than three decades.