Coal industry consolidation in Shanxi province is on track and may lead to a boost in output soon, even as the government maintained that prices of the commodity would remain stable this year.

Shanxi, which accounts for nearly one-fourth of the country's coal needs, intends to step up its output by 80 million tons this year to 700 million tons, said Wang Shouzhen, director of the Shanxi Coal Industrial Bureau.

The expanded output is expected to bring some cheer on the price front after prices of the commodity rose sharply in the past few days as demand peaked and supplies dwindled due to transportation problems.