Analysis of coal and water co-mining in ecologically fragile mining areas in Western China

Coal plays a dominant role in China’s energy structure and has made great contributions to China’s national economic development, and it is an important part of China’s energy strategic security. The spatial and temporal characteristics of coal energy in China and its political and economic environment at home and abroad determine the current pattern of coal resources development in the western ecologically fragile mining areas, which has become an important strategic base for coal energy supply in China. According to the existing research results, large-scale and high-intensity development has exceeded the ecological environment carrying capacity of some mining areas in the region, and it is very likely to cause irreversible damage to the ecological environment. The characteristics of the occurrence of energy in China determine that the region’s coal resources must be developed in an orderly and scientific manner, and it is the key scientific problem to consider the national energy strategic security and long-term stability and restoration of ecological environment. Among them, the popularization and application of water conservation mining technology and gob water storage (groundwater reservoir) technologies have alleviated the contradiction between coal mining and ecological environment protection to a certain extent. However, in the long run, this contradiction will accompany the entire life cycle of coal mining. It is believed that a coordination center for coal resources development and environmental protection in the ecologically fragile mining areas in the west of China should be established, with the leading and coordinating by the National Development and Reform Commission as well as the National Energy Administration. With the coal mining and ecological environment protection as the main line, the medium and long-term plan of coal mining considering the bearing capacity of the ecological environment should be formulated, and the full demonstration and evaluation before mining and continuous monitoring during and after mining established. At the same time, it is necessary to increase the scientific and technological investment in coal development, and solve the contradiction between coal mining and ecological environment protection by interdisciplinary integration of coal mining, ecological environment protection and monitoring, artificial intelligence and so on.