Abstract: Based on summarizing the achievements, problems and analysis of the northwest coal industry development environment, this paper is used energy consumption elasticity coefficient method and the main consumption of coal industry method forecast the national coal demand, using the scheduling method to determine the other northwest provinces coal production output, thus put forward the spatial development of the northwest coal.After a detailed study of the western coal from the layout of coal production, coal consumption and coal transport and elimination, coal mine construction etc.The result shows that the northwest coal development potential but due to market constraints, coal development continues to accelerate the layout of the northwest, the northwest is the hope of coal industry in the future, need to promote the transformation of coal development from quantity speed to quality benefit type in northwest China.