Tianjin to upgrade, close more thermal power units, coal boilers

The northern city of Tianjin, which borders Beijing, plans to upgrade or close more thermal power units and coal burning boilers in 2017 in an effort to cut pollution.

A total of seven thermal power generating units and 637 coal burning boilers will be closed or converted into gas powered units, Wen Wurui, head of the city's environmental protection bureau, said on Thursday at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Tianjin Municipal People's Congress.

Coal burning in the city in 2015 was reduced by 7 million tonnes from 2012. It has seen a year-on-year drop of 297 tonnes during the first nine months of this year, he said.

So far, the city has upgraded 20 of its 300,000-kw or higher coal-fired power-generating units to make them more environmentally friendly. A total of 1,547 coal burning boilers have been closed down, according to Wen.

Additionally, the city has removed from roads a total of 455,000 high-emission cars or cars that do not meet emission standards.

As a major industrial city, Tianjin is among one of the most polluted cities in China. Endi