Beijing City looks to replace coal-fired energy

Authorities in Beijing have committed to replace all coal-fired equipment in the city's core areas by 2013 in an effort to curb pollution stemming from its dominant energy source, according to Xinhua.

The Chinese capital will cap its annual coal consumption at 15 million tonnes by 2015, setting a stricter goal compared with the previous one of 20 million tonnes for the same time frame, according to Beijing's Development and Reform Commission.

To achieve the ambitious target, the city will replace four major coal-burning power plants with natural gas power plants, ban coal-fired winter heating and use more clean energy, said Zhao Lei, deputy director of the commission.

Beijing consumed 26.35 million tonnes of coal in 2010, accounting for 30 percent of its total energy consumption, while the other 70 percent was made up of natural gas, imported electricity as well as new and renewable energies.