Northern Chinese cities ditch coal for gas for heating

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Winter is approaching and heating season has begun in northern China, a time when coal burners have traditionally fired up and air pollution has soared.

But this year, many northern cities are making a big difference to air quality by replacing coal with gas.

Regions such as Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi and Liaoning provinces are all on board with local governments determined to fully implement the scheme.

In Taiyuan, capital city of northern Shanxi Province, local residents are bidding farewell to coal, with many of the coal burners torn down on the city’s outskirts and in nearby villages.

It's a big change for locals and officials are calling on them to learn to use the new gas boilers.

Many villagers are learning how to use new gas boilers. /CGTN Photo

“When we were burning coal, we had a lot of coal cinders and black smoke. It was bad for our health," said Rong Qiaoxian, a villager in the city's Xuedian Community. "We're happy about the change”.

Chen Junde, head of the village, said the gas boiler is "much safer and more convenient" and provides long-lasting heat.

Gas boilers are said to be much safer and more convenient. /CGTN Photo

Shanxi Province has huge coal reserves and mining has played a major role in its economy.

Residents have kept themselves warm in the winter by burning coal for centuries, meaning that many cities in the province have been among the most polluted regions in China.

Many villages both within and on the outskirts of Taiyuan were burning coal in winter, causing serious air pollution. /CGTN Photo

In recent years, Taiyuan has been building communal heating systems fueled by gas in urban districts, but many rural households continued to use coal.

That changed in October when Taiyuan launched a complete ban on coal use to improve air quality.

The local government spent six billion yuan replacing coal burners with gas appliances in over 130,000 rural households.

“Each household gets a subsidy of 10,000 yuan for the installation of a gas boiler. They only need to pay 1,900 yuan”, said Zhang Jianhong, the Deputy Party Secretary of the Xi Wen Zhuang Town.

The local environment protection bureau says so far 471 coal burners have been removed. The city expects to cut 240,000 tons of coal burning a year, dramatically cutting carbon dioxide emissions.