A police traffic officer wears a mask at a crossroads in Baoding, Hebei province, on Dec 25. Lingering smog prompted local authorities to launch a month-long pollution red alert in the city. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

BEIJING - China's coal consumption will be around 4.3 billion tonnes by 2020 as the government pushes for cleaner and greener growth despite the slowing economy, the China National Coal Association (CNCA) said on Monday.

The annual growth of coal consumption during 2016-2020 will remain at 2 percent, said CNCA president Wang Xianzheng during an industry conference.

For the next five years, the coal industry will prioritize restructuring and upgrades, which means cutting capacity and more mergers, Wang said.

China's coal consumption decreased in the first quarter of this year, reaching 910 million tonnes, down 3.7 percent year on year, CNCA data showed.

Coal accounted for 64 percent of the primary energy last year, down 4.5 percentage points from 2012.

China has specified that it aims to bring the share of non-fossil energy to 15 percent by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030. In addition, coal consumption will be limited to 62 percent of energy use by 2020.

The State Council announced earlier this year plans to slash capacity in the coal industry and stop approving any new coal mines before the end of 2019.

The country will shut down 500 million tonnes of capacity and consolidate another 500 million tonnes into the hands of the most efficient mine operators in the next three to five years, according to a guideline issued by the State Council.