The deaths have been caused by methane gas poisoning.

Standard says it will evaluate projects on a case-by-case basis, assessing the need for power in the country where the mine or plant is situated.

Price rose slightly as coal mine operations in China were affected by the coronavirus.

The country recorded coal production of 82.2 million tonnes in 2019.

Coal sales in 2019 were at 27.8 million tonnes, up 13% from the previous year.

In the past three months, regulators have disrupted ambitious plans to combat climate change in electric grids.

More than a dozen coal-fired power plants have been decommissioned in the past two years.