Refiner to create 20 smokeless cities by replacing coal with clean energy
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| (Courtesy CIA.gov) |
State-owned China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, also known as Sinopec Corp, said it will further develop geothermal energy in Xiongxian county, Hebei province, as it seeks to make the region smokeless. Sinopec Corp is also diversifying beyond oil and gas production.
The company said its geothermal energy heating capacity in Xiongxian has reached 4.5 million square meters by July.
It now plans to create 20 smokeless cities nationwide replacing coal with geothermal energy, covering 100 million sq m during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).
"Geothermal energy has the capacity to partially replace coal-fired heat and reduce carbon footprint, especially in big cities," said Wang Zizong, deputy chief engineer of Sinopec Corp, Asia's largest refiner.