The Chinese government has decided to close hundreds of small mines over the year to ensure safety in the coal mine industry.

"We should use the opportunity afforded by excess coal supplies to intensify our crackdown on small coal mines and eliminate outdated mines," Xinhua quoted Yang Dongliang, head of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) as saying Tuesday.

Chinese demand for coal, which fuels three-quarters of the nation's power plants, has slowed with the cooling of the economy. At least 625 small coal pits will be sealed off, Yang said while speaking during a national work safety video conference.

Specifying the places, he said, Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces are the places where many small mines will be closed. 

Calling for efforts to actively promote the merging and integration of coal producers to improve efficiency, he said scientific management should be implemented in coal-producing enterprises and production structures should be be improved.