China Orders More Coal Production, Oil Prices Rise as Energy Crisis Deepens

China Orders More Coal Production, Oil Prices Rise as Energy Crisis Deepens
A coal-burning power plant behind a factory in the city of Baotou, in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on Oct. 31, 2010. David Gray/Reuters
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China ordered miners in Inner Mongolia to ramp up coal production and oil prices jumped on Friday as a record surge in the cost of gas revived demand for coal to keep factories open and homes heated.

The rebound in economic activity from coronavirus restrictions has exposed alarmingly low supplies of natural gas leaving traders, industry executives, and governments scrambling as the northern hemisphere heads into winter.