China will extend a temporary moratorium on new coal mining permits for three years, the Ministry of Land and Resources said in a statement Thursday.

Regulators will not accept applications for new mining permits through Dec. 31, 2013 , the ministry said. An exception will be made for certain "key" mining projects with approval from China 's State Council, or cabinet.

The moratorium is being extended to "prevent the emergence of overcapacity problems due to excessive investment in coal exploration," the statement said.

According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the suspension dates back to March 26, 2009 and was set to expire on March 31 of this year.

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