CHINA: Beijing seeks to fight pollution by replacing coal and fossil fuels with more environmentally-friendly sources of power both in homes and on the roads

Record ID: 217033

  • Title: CHINA: Beijing seeks to fight pollution by replacing coal and fossil fuels with more environmentally-friendly sources of power both in homes and on the roads
  • Date: 7th November 2013
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (RECENT) (REUTERS) MAN TAKING COAL FROM STACK VARIOUS OF COAL BEING PILED ONTO BACK OF BIKE VARIOUS OF COAL ON BIKE BEING TRANSPORTED THROUGH STREET WOMAN TAKING COAL INTO HOUSE WOMAN PUTTING COAL BRICK INTO FURNACE WOMAN PUTTING TEAPOT ONTO FURNACE/ ELDERLY MAN SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 62-YEAR-OLD RETIREE YUAN SHUMING, SAYING: "Actually, using e
  • Embargoed: 22nd November 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Nature / Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVA3G6RIOHFJZ99IPEPIEEM3K7XM
  • Story Text: The Beijing government has announced plans to significantly reduce pollution by cutting emissions from both coal burning and vehicles within the next few years.
    But in many of the capital's traditional communal housing units, coal-fire furnaces are still popular, although many have been renovated and fitted with electric-gas-powered heating systems.
    The emissions from these furnaces contribute to air pollution and in northern China especially, the foul air has helped lower life expectancy by an estimated 5.5 years compared to the south, Chinese and international researchers said in July.
    Earlier this year Beijing's air pollution reached record levels, ushering strong criticism from even state media.
    Yuan Shumin, a 61-year-old Beijing resident, has been heating her house with coal as long as she can remember.

    "Actually, using electric heating is cheaper, cheaper than burning coal. So why aren't we using electric heating? It's warm, it's not poisonous like coal, and it's also safer to use when having elderly people in the house," she said.
    Yuan said that she and her surrounding neighbours have applied to install an electric heating system in their apartments over the years, but their requests remain unanswered.
    In October of this year, China's official Xinhua news agency announced that Beijing plans to replace four coal-burning heating plants with natural gas fired ones by the end of next year as it steps up efforts to clean up pollution.
    The new plants will replace four coal-fired ones that provide heating for homes in the city's central urban area as well as generating electricity, Xinhua said.
    Professor Ma Yongliang, who teaches at the department of air pollution control in Tsinghua university, said that there are two realistic solutions for containing pollution.

    "But for pollution which has been directly caused by burning coal, there are two solutions. One is to replace burning coal. The other is to increase emissions produced by burning coal. There used to be over 20 million tons of coal being burned (every year), but according to the current target, there will be 17 million tons burnt every year," he said.
    In Western Beijing, a gas-fired power plant is already under construction, with plans of opening to the public for power generation within the next year or two.

    "After we stop using coal to generate electricity, our installed capacity will expand to 1.37 million kilowatts. At the same time, it's cleaner. There will be no more leftover residue from coal," said Zhong Qianghua, a general engineer at the plant.
    Recently a chronic shortage of natural gas caused the Chinese government to begin rationing the distribution of natural gas throughout the country. This could cut short Beijing's ambitious plans.
    Among the many measures being taken to ensure emission reduction in Beijing is the introduction of new electric public buses to replace gasoline-powered ones.
    Beijing has already clamped down on private cars to ease traffic congestion and decrease emissions, but the city's public transportation system remains mostly gasoline-powered.
    According to Zhong Qianghua, a general engineer for the Beijing Public Transport Group, Beijing's plan will be to replace a large part of their buses with electric ones over the next five years.

    "So through our hardwork, within five years, till the year 2017, within (Beijing's) fifth ring road, the scale for electric buses will expand to over 20 percent (of public buses). The ratio of clean energy used (for public buses) will be more than 50 percent. So our buses powered by new clean energy will account for more than 65 percent of the total public buses," said Zhong.
    Beijing and more than 10 other cities in China began using trial E-bus fleets in 2011, but high battery costs, an inadequate charging infrastructure and safety issues have stood in the way of Beijing's green drive.
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