Labels:text | font | screenshot | black and white | document OCR: China has commercial deposits of most minerals and probably the world's largest reserves of about 17, including molybdenum, titanium and tungsten, in which it dominates the world market. China is the world's largest coal producer, with an output of over 1.1 billion tons a year, used mainly for power generation. Reserves are estimated at around 800 billion tons, primarily in the Shaanxi and Sichuan basins. Power generation is lagging well behind demand and China could become an energy importer, despite plans to develop other energy sources. China's first two nuclear plants opened in the early 1990s. The world's largest hydropower station, known as the "Three Gorges" scheme, is being built at Santoup'ing on the Chang Jiang. The scheme has raised controversy over its proposed benefits and costs. Oil is also a problem. Exports, once a top foreign exchange earner, are falling as onshore fields are depleted. Offshore exploration has proved disappointing. Hopes for the future now center on the Tarim basin in the far west, which Western oil companies say could have Middle East-sized reserves.
