Energy saving project pays off in East China

After five years of introducing energy saving techniques and closing down polluting companies, the air and water qualities of Yixing are now the best in East China's Jiangsu province.

According to the city's environmental protection bureau, 131 days out of the first six months of this year had good air quality, accounting for 71 percent of the total.

It also said all newly constructed buildings in the city's Donggui new district have adopted energy saving techniques. A total 12.5 kilometers of sewer pipes are in use.

The city has closed 170 coal-burning industrial boilers and converted a further 20 to use clean energy.

The environmental protection measures have been supported by local companies.

Lin Hongxun, general manager of a composite material company in the city's Xinjie community, said money invested in environmental protection equipment has proved effective.

"We spent 3 million yuan ($483,000) to introduce high temperature incineration," said Lin. "It was not cheap for a small company, but now we can use wasted water, gas and heat during the production process. The environmental protection bureau now receives no complaints about our company from local residents".

Ding Yiping, manager of Dapeng Cement Company, said workers can have lunch in the workshop after spending 6 million yuan to introduce environmental protection.

"Many workers used to express concerns over dust floating in the workshop," said Ding. "They like the working environment now and want to renew their contracts".

The city government has constructed an international environmental protection exhibition hall to demonstrate much of the energy saving equipment and environmentally friendly techniques it has adopted.

Yixing, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Wuxi, is dubbed the pottery capital of China. It is famous for unglazed clay teapots, tea trees and large areas of bamboo.

Contact the writers through cangwei@chinadaily.com.cn