Power companies going green for blue skies, energy sector delegates say

Major companies in the power-generation sector, including coal, have taken measures to lower pollution from consumption and mining, Party delegates to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China said on Thursday morning. 

Beijing Thermal Power Plant, a major heating supplier for residents in the southeastern area of the capital, is ready to further lower emissions to ensure clearer skies in winter, Liu Zongfu, deputy manager of the plant, told reporters on the sidelines of the congress on Thursday. 

The plant has replaced coal for power generation with gas, which allowed them to cut emissions since April. Since then, all power plants in Beijing have stopped consuming coal to reduce emissions. 

There is a backup unit of power generation, fueled by coal, which is prepared for emergency needs. “If the coal-fired unit does start in some emergency cases, we still can guarantee low emissions from the unit,” he said. 

Kang Hongpu, an engineer from China Coal Technology & Engineering Group, said the advanced technologies adopted in coal mining, such as controlling land subsidence, have managed to lower pollution and damage to the environment.