Abstract: Promoting the transition of coal resources from fuel to both fuel and raw material, and achieving clean and efficient utilization of coal are crucial approaches to addressing energy, resource, and environmental challenges in the 21st century. Coal quality assessment serves as the foundational work for clean and efficient coal utilization, while studies on occurrence patterns and controlling factors provide scientific support for coal quality evaluation. Taking the genesis of coal petrology and coal types as the starting point, the formation, evolution, and controlling factors of special coal in Ningxia were analyzed. The distribution characteristics of special coal were found out, and the genetic types of special coal in Ningxia were classified. The results show that the sedimentary environments of the Taiyuan Formation, Shanxi Formation, and Yan’an Formation in Ningxia are mainly barrier coast, lake delta, and alluvial plain, respectively. The peat swamp types of the Taiyuan Formation and Shanxi Formation were dominated by humid forest swamps and humid herbaceous swamps, while those of the Yan’an Formation were mainly dry forest swamps. Influenced by both the sedimentary environments and the peat swamp types, the coal petrology and coal quality characteristics of the three sets of coal seams differ. During metamorphism, the coal was affected by deep metamorphism in Ningxia, and most of them have a low degree of metamorphism. The coal of the Taiyuan Formation in the Xiangshan coalfield and the coal in the western Weizhou mining area of the Ningdong coalfield underwent dynamic metamorphism superimposed on deep metamorphism, and the coal in the Helanshan coalfield experienced regional magmatic thermal metamorphism superimposed on deep metamorphism, and the coal have a higher degree of metamorphism. The spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of special coal in Ningxia were analyzed according to the requirements for coal petrology, coal quality and coal type of special coal. High-quality anthracite is distributed in the Rujigou mining area. Coking coal is mainly located in the Hengcheng mining area, the eastern part of Weizhou mining area, the Siguquan mining area, the Shabatai mining area, the Shitanjing mining area and the Shizuishan mining area. Liquefaction coal is mainly distributed in the Hongdunzi mining area, the Yuanyanghu mining area and the Lingwu mining area. Except for the above-mentioned areas, coal can be used as coal for gasification. The classification scheme for the genetic types of special coal in Ningxia was established based on sedimentary environments, peat swamp types, and metamorphic types. The special coal genetic types were divided into 16 categories, including 8 for the Taiyuan Formation, 5 for the Shanxi Formation, and 4 for the Yan’an Formation（The Taiyuan Formation and Shanxi Formation both contain the genetic type of “lake delta humid forest swamp deep metamorphic process”）. The results provide theoretical support for the clean and efficient utilization of coal in Ningxia.