中文
Northern China's Hebei province has shut down 29 coal-fired power generation units since the beginning of the 14th Five-year Plan period (2021-25), with a combined capacity of 2.79 GW, as part of efforts to improve air quality, a government document said.
According to an action plan for air quality improvement issued by the local government, the province aims to reduce coal consumption by 10% by 2025 as compared with the 2020 level. Coal-related projects should be built or expanded only by replacing existing capacity of equal or higher levels, while the construction of new captive coal units is prohibited.
Meanwhile, small and scattered coal boilers for community heating are slated for dismantling by 2025.
This effort to cut coal consumption aligns with the province's broader goal of transitioning towards cleaner energy sources. In line with this objective, Hebei also intends to increase the installations of renewable energy capacity. By 2025, the target is for the province's capacity to exceed 114 GW, representing about 60% of total power capacity.
With this green transition, the province seeks for overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
By 2025, the average PM2.5 concentration should be cut by 20% compared with 2020, and emissions of nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds need to fall more than 10%, the plans said. Days of heavy air pollution should be less than 4 days all over a year.
Hebei, as China's top steelmaking base, accounted for 20.7% of China's total crude steel production in 2023. To combat air pollution and streamline capacity, the province has banned the construction of new steel capacity. Instead, the government encourages steel mills to switch from blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces (EAFs). By 2025, EAF steel is expected to account for over 5% of local total output.
Hebei has long been one of the most polluted provinces in China, with the highest annual average concentrations of PM2.5 due to a concentration of highly polluting industries. However, significant progress has been made in recent years. For the Five-Year period up to August 2023, the average PM 2.5 concentration declined by 18%. In 2022, Hebei had no cities ranked in the top ten most polluted cities for the first time.
(Writing by Alex Guo Editing by Harry Huo)
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