Shijiazhuang has stopped approving new coal-based projects

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Effective immediately, the approval of new coal-fired projects will be halted. The construction of coal-fired boilers with a capacity of 10 tons per hour or less is strictly prohibited, as is the unauthorized approval of such coal-fired projects； For coal-based projects that have been constructed in violation of regulations, the county (city) district **should order them to cease construction or have them demolished. Recently, our city issued a notice to further standardize the substitution of coal with an equivalent amount or less in newly approved coal-using projects. In the effort to replace coal with an equivalent amount or less in new coal-using projects this year, our city will cease approving new coal-using projects. For coal-using projects that truly require new construction, renovation, or expansion, the various counties (cities) and districts shall implement substitution with an equal amount or less amount of coal, on the premise that they have completed the coal reduction targets assigned by the province and city for the previous year and will ensure completion of such targets for the current year. Further strengthen the approval management for coal-using projects; new coal-using projects that fail to implement equivalent or reduced substitution with other fuels shall not be approved for construction. The construction of new coal-fired boilers with a capacity of 10 tons per hour or less is strictly prohibited, as is the approval of coal-using projects in violation of regulations. For coal-based projects that have been constructed in violation of regulations, the county (city) district **should order them to cease construction or have them demolished. Regarding approval authority, the review of coal-equivalent or reduced-coal substitution plans for new coal-using projects is carried out under a hierarchical management system in accordance with the project approval procedures. “The equivalent or reduced substitution of coal in newly established coal-using projects refers to the replacement of the annual designed coal consumption for such projects with the coal consumption of existing coal-using equipment that is planned to be removed or was removed in the previous year. ”A responsible official from the Municipal Development and Reform Commission explained that all newly approved coal-using projects must meet specific coal substitution targets; these targets represent the amount of coal that can be used within the limits set by the city’s 15-million-ton coal reduction goal, based on the local coal consumption figures for that year. It is an industrial coal substitution indicator for enterprises above a certain scale; the substitution amount is determined based on the average coal consumption over the previous three years, as provided by the local statistics department (with supporting documentation stamped by the statistics department) ； For industries of a smaller scale and other sectors, the coal substitution indicators are determined jointly by the local environmental protection, housing and urban-rural development, industry and information technology, and development and reform departments based on the actual coal consumption in the previous year (via confirmation forms stamped with the official seals of the relevant departments). The annual designed coal consumption for newly established coal-using projects shall not exceed the coal substitution target. In accordance with the relevant regulations regarding provincial and municipal administrative approval powers, the people’s governments of various counties (cities) and districts, as well as the management committees of the high-tech zone, Zhengding New Area, Circular Chemical Industry Park, and Comprehensive Free Trade Zone, are responsible for organizing inspections to determine the substitution of coal with other fuels in local coal-using projects. After the amount of coal to be replaced is determined for a newly established coal-using project, the project owner submits an application for verification. The development and reform department of the county (city) or district takes the lead in carrying out this verification, with the support of the environmental protection and statistics departments. Projects that use coal shall not commence construction without approval. Within three months after the completion of new coal-using projects, the counties (cities) and districts are responsible for phasing out, demolishing, and replacing the relevant industrial production capacity as well as decentralized coal-fired boilers. Those that fail to complete the phasing out and demolition tasks on schedule, or fail to fulfill their demolition commitments, will be publicly criticized citywide; new coal-based projects will be ordered to cease operations, and accountability will be pursued in accordance with relevant regulations. Source: Shijiazhuang News Network