Beijing transforms boilers for better environment

Beijing is transforming its coal-fired boilers with clean energy in a move to clean up the city's foul air.

The capital is transforming its coal-fired boilers, which produce about 7,000 tonnes of steam per hour, to make them more environmentally friendly. After completion at the end of this year, the green equipment will help slash Beijing's coal use by two million tonnes. That means an annual decrease of dust by about 30,000 tonnes, reducing sulfur dioxide by about 16,000 tonnes and nitrogen oxide by about 5,000 tonnes, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

The capital city launched a "green energy project" to transform its coal-fired boilers in 1998. By the end of 2015, Beijing had phased out boilers producing more than 60,000 tonnes of steam per hour, according to the bureau.

The density of fine particulate matter PM2.5 in Beijing decreased by 10.1 percent year on year in the first nine months of the year, the local environment watchdog said last week.

The average PM2.5 reading in the period was 62 micrograms per cubic meter. In 2015, the level was 80.6 micrograms, down from 95.7 micrograms in 2012. Endi