SHIJIAZHUANG - An energy firm in north China's Hebei province has started constructing the country's largest plant for producing natural gas from oven gas.

Slated for completion by the end of 2013, the plant of the Shijiazhuang-based Jizhong Energy Group Co Ltd is expected to produce 300 million cubic meters of natural gas a year from recycling all of the company's oven gas emissions.

The company generates 800 million cubic meters of oven gas from producing 4 million tons of coking coal each year.

Wang Sheping, board chairman of Jizhong, said the project with a total investment of 2 billion yuan ($315 million) will be able to reduce the emission of 600,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 2,300 tons of sulfur dioxide.