Choked Beijing gasps for cleaner heating (2)

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Choked Beijing gasps for cleaner heating (2)

(Xinhua) 10:00, November 02, 2013

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"Considering the current government subsidies, one only has to pay 1,000 yuan in total for an electric heating season," Tan said.

Besides the financial savings, the removal of coal stoves brings positive effects to the indoor environment, as the hidden hazard of carbon monoxide poisoning is eliminated.

For residents living in other buildings, an ongoing "coal-to-gas" central heating project is also easing their sense of guilt as winter approaches.

A total of 115 boilers in six districts of the city have been upgraded for gas burning, reducing the burning of coal by 600,000 tonnes, according to Liu Wei, deputy director of the atmospheric environment department of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

"Over 20 million square meters of floor area or about 200,000 households will be heated by gas-fired thermal power this winter," Liu said.

Three gas-fired boilers in the heating plant in the research institute are undergoing final testing to replace the four coal-fired boilers that have been in service for over two decades.

Cui Liwei, heating branch manager of Beijing Kezhu Property Management Company, said the plant burned 18,000 tonnes of coal every heating season to heat a floor area of less than 800,000 square meters, while the new gas-fired boilers will be able to provide clean heating to 1.3 million square meters of floor area.

According to officials with the Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, Beijing will build four power centers by the end of 2014 to replace coal with natural gas in heating and power generation, which is part of the city's efforts to optimize the energy mix and reduce emissions.

The first phase of a coal gasification project in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has also been completed and by the end of December will start to supply Beijing with up to 1.33 billion cubic meters of gas each year.

Upon completion of all three phases next year, the project will be able to supply Beijing with 4 billion cubic meters of natural gas, or nearly half of the current annual gas demand of the capital.