Puda Coal Cools Off But It'll Heat Up Again
China is the largest user of coal and now they've become a major net importer in the last few years. Although China has embarked on several programs to focus on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind they will rely on coal fired electricity for a long time with some sources estimating that China will nearly double coal use by 2030. The coal industry in China is very fragmented. Many of the coal mines have been operated by small companies leading to very inefficient mines and a high injury rate with several tragic mine accidents. Hence, the government has embarked on a mine consolidation plan in order to move the majority of the mines into the hands of larger operators that will be more efficient and easier to regulate. The program will reduce the number of mine operators from 1,000 to 100 while also significantly shrinking the total number of mines. Mine Consolidator Puda Coal (PUDA) is one of the selected mine consolidators. It's virtually unknown by investors as they...