Heating supply in Beijing's urban areas has become coal-free, as the Chinese capital officially enters the winter heating season on Nov. 15.
The operation rate of the city's 1,500 heating supply enterprises had reached 99 percent by Nov. 13. With the southeast thermal power center (Huaneng Thermal Power Plant) put into service, there will be four thermal power centers supplying heating to the capital this year. The ratio of heating by clean energy in Beijing has risen to over 97 percent in 2017-18. With a few exceptions in suburban regions such as Pinggu and Yanqing districts, the heating boilers in the urban area of Beijing have all become coal-free.
As the southeast thermal power center, Huaneng Thermal Power Plant has always been the major heating provider for eastern Beijing, accounting for 30 percent of the heating capacity in the city's east side. This March, the five Phase I coal-fired units in the power plant were closed with reserved shutdown, which marked the beginning of coal-free heating of Beijing. The Beijing Urban Management Committee announced on Nov. 13 that with the Phase III gas-fired units in the Huaneng Thermal Power Plant put into use, the heating supply in the urban area of Beijing has gone green. According to the person in charge of the power plant, current exhaust emission parameters such as the density of oxynitride, sulfur dioxide, and smoke dust were all measuring less than half of the standard figures set by the city.
Combating air pollution has been a priority for Beijing since 2013. According to the city's urban planning authorities, the heating system will consist of four thermal power centers operating together. From 2013 to 2015, the coal-fueled heating units were shut down gradually, and the southwest, northwest, and northeast thermal power centers were completed and put into operation. With the coal-fueled units completely shut down this year, Beijing has become the first city in China that is entirely heated by clean energy.
According to the Urban Management Committee, this winter the area receiving heating supply in Beijing has reached a record high of 840 million square meters, of which 190 million square meters are heated by the municipal heating system.
Since the trial operation of the heating supply, the service hotline 96096 started to receive or transfer nearly 6,300 repair calls per day to resolve problems of heating in the city. By 5p.m.on Nov. 13, the hotline had responded to 13,518 service requests. The platform and its hotline centers are working around the clock in anticipation of the first day of the winter heating season. In addition, authorities are taking disciplinary measures against heating supply enterprises that receive constant complaints from residents.