China's first self-developed straw-burning power generation project has begun pilot operation in Suqian, in east China's Jiangsu Province, according to the China Energy Conservation Investment Corporation (CECIC).

 

The 248-million-yuan (US$31 million) project is expected to burn 170,000-200,000 tons of straw and generate 132 million kwh of electricity a year, Yang Xincheng, general manager of CECIC said on Wednesday.

 

Currently, around 140 million tons of straw and crop stalks are burned beside fields or on nearby highways in China each year, threatening the environment as well as the lives of drivers and pedestrians.

 

 

By making full use of the resource, China can save the equivalent of 100 million tons of coal, Yang said.

 

For the Chinese government, the development of clean energy projects -- including wind power and solar power and biomass-fired power plants -- is a top priority.

 

The government has approved the construction of over 30 biomass power plants. Some are already being built, others will begin construction soon. 

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2006)