* China Sept coal output 334.1 mln T vs Aug’s 335.24 mln T * Sept output down 0.9% from year earlier (Adds comment, background) BEIJING, Oct 18 (Reuters) - China’s September coal output fell from a month ago, as tightened safety inspections at mines curbed production in some major producing regions. China, the world’s biggest coal producer and consumer, produced 334.1 million tonnes of the more-polluting fuel last month, down from 335.24 million tonnes in August, the National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Monday. September coal output was also 0.9% lower than the same period last year. Output in the first nine months reached 2.93 billion tonnes, up 3.7% from the same period a year earlier. “Mines were under relatively big pressure from safety inspections in September due to big events, frequent mining accidents and the national holidays,” said a note issued by China’s Coal Transportation and Distribution Association (CCTD) on Sunday. The CCTD appeared to be referring to the 2021 National Games sporting event that was held in Shaanxi province, China’s third-largest coal producer, during Sept. 15-27. Coal mines in the province were reported to have slowed production during the event, which President Xi Jinping attended. Additionally, Beijing sent inspectors to mines in the eastern province of Shandong for a fresh round of one-month environmental probes starting in late August. However, as China continues to suffer under power shortages, the government has initiated measures to boost coal output that will likely mean higher output in October. Beijing has order production to restart at open-pit mines in the Inner Mongolia region and more than 150 mines elsewhere have been given approval to expand. Chinese data last week showed that “current” daily coal output has climbed to more than 11.2 million tonnes, the highest since February. (Reporting by Muyu Xu and Shivani Singh; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Christian Schmollinger) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. PAID PROMOTIONAL LINKS