Don't tell the climate deniers, but it looks like China is indeed taking greenhouse gas issues seriously and hurting Australian coal miners in the process. A green China means red ink for black coal.

Chinese electricity production growth isn't what it used to be, but what counts more is how it's being produced as China begins to see the results of a marked swing to hydro power at the expense of coal.

For those who follow such things, China's electricity statistics released on Tuesday were less than robust - August electricity production up by 2.6 per cent on the previous corresponding month. That's not good for thermal coal demand hopes, but according to Standard Bank's commodities analysts, it's actually worse than it looks.

“While total electricity production in the country is still rising year on year, electricity produced from thermal coal has actually declined,” writes Walter de Wet.

“August electricity production from thermal coal was down 7.2 per cent year on year. Year-to-date electricity production from thermal coal is down 1 per cent compared to the first eight months of 2011. In 2011 electricity production growth was 13.8 per cent year on year during the first eight months and in 2010 the year-on-year growth for the same period was 19.4 per cent.