Shenhua Group was founded in October 1995 under the auspices of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

[5] In 1995, Shenhua Group was founded as a separate corporation under the provisional directorship of the State Planning Committee.

Shenhua Group is vertically integrated and, in addition to coal mining, the company also produces electricity from coal and renewable energy, operates railroads, ports, and seaborne shipments, produces polyethylene and polypropylene, and undertakes research, development, and demonstrations activities.

Shenhua Group was the largest coal producer in China, operating both underground and open cut mines.

The company has committed to emissions of PM, SOx, and NOx that are at or below the standards set for natural gas power plants.

[10] The company held more than 5,000 MW of renewable energy capacity and was the sixth largest producer of electricity from wind in China.

In 2014, the facility produced 900,000 tonnes of liquid fuels and products, including diesel, naphtha, and liquefied petroleum gas.

[13][14] The group planned to build the A$1 billion Shenhua Watermark coal mine in the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales, Australia.