A man fishes near a thermal power plant in Tianjin. (Photo : Reuters)
Chinese authorities have shut down the last coal-fired power plant in Tianjin on March 18, Wednesday, and replaced it with a gas-fueled power station.
The Municipal Development and Reform Commission confirmed to Xinhua that the Chentangzhuang Thermal Power Plant has ceased the operation of its three coal-fired power generation units.
In place of the old coal-fired plants, the government opened a new plant, considered to be the country's largest gas-fired power plant that is capable of providing 8.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity as well as heating to more than 240,000 households.
Xinhua reported that the new plant is expected to reduce air pollution in the area.
The government said that the shift to the gas-fired station will also help reduce Tianjin's yearly coal consumption by about 2.33 million tons.
In terms of emission, the new plant is expected to cut down emission of sulfur dioxide by about 927 tons, nitric oxide by 5,169 tons, and dust by about 140 tons yearly, authorities added.
Tianjin's two major urban coal-fired plants are now closed. The first one, Tianjin No.1 Thermal Power Plant, founded in 1937, was closed on Nov. 18, 2011.
Tianjin, a major industrial city, is ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the country.
To address the problem of pollution, the government introduced a five-year plan for the city in Sept. 2013, aimed at reducing coal consumption, promoting the use of clean energy and reducing the capacities of some industries considered as heavy polluters.
The plan hoped to reduce the density of PM2.5 in Tianjin to at least 25 percent by 2017.
