Changchun held a ceremony?where?Changchun Gas Producing Plant, the Towngas Group, and the Changchun Gas Co announced a new natural gas era that marks the end of almost a century of coal power of the city, on Oct 27, chinajilin.com.cn has reported on Oct 28, noting that it is part of a national drive for clean energy.

Changchun has worked hard for years to promote clean energy to get rid of its haze and adjust the energy structure. In 1996, a gas project in one part of the city ended the area's lack of natural gas and since then the Changchun Gas Co has been working with the Towngas Group to introduce international standards, cooperating with PetroChina and Sinopec to lay a foundation for gas resources and reconstructing pipe networks to cover the whole city.

A worker checks on the pipe network in Changchun, Jilin province. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]

A worker monitors the pipe network in Changchun, Jilin province. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]

Natural gas saves more energy, reduces emissions, is more efficient and cleaner, uses less land than coal, and according to Liang Yongxiang, the general manager of the Changchun Gas Co, who describes how more households are joining the effort, "At least 60,000 households converted to natural gas in 2012, then 110,000 in 2013, 150,000 in 2014, and 300,000 this year."