South China clamors for central heating

Does South China need a central heating system? As the winter gets colder, people who live just the south of the Qinling Mountain Range and Huaihe River are feeling the harshness of the cold. Many now want a centralized heating system.

10-month old Baby Yan has recently caught a cold. It would not have happened if the central heating was provided on Dec. 1st, as the heating company promised. The temperature in her apartment hovers around 10 degrees Celsius, almost as cold as outside. Her parents put lots of clothes on her, and tuck her in extra thick quilts at night.

Lu Dan, mother, said,"We paid extra money for this apartment for its central heating provision in winter. But now I have to install a wall-mounted boiler for warmth. I can't wait any longer. "

The Qinling Mountain Range and the Huaihe River have long been recognized as the geographical line to divide northern and southern China. It is also how where the government drew the line on who to provide central heating to, since the 1950s.

Wuhan lies just south of this geographical line. The average temperature there in winter is 1-3 degrees Celsius. The people feel the harshness of winter just as much as their northern neighbors, but have no central heating.

Wang Yongsheng, chief of Energy Div. Wuhan Municipal Dev. and Reform Commission, said,"We started a "Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer" project in 2006. So far around 80,000 people enjoy central heating at home. The goal of our first step is to let over 1 million people have central heating at the end of the 12th 5-year plan. "

But Lv Dan, together with other 80,000 residents of Wuhan, have had delayed heating or no heating at all since they joined the project.

As for DEWN Thermal Energy, the company which won the bid to build the central heating pipelines, they were disappointed when their heating units failed to start working this year.

Lei Xiangpeng, head of Base Units, DEWN Thermal Energy Co. Ltd. said,"Everything is ready for this year's heating. But the thermal power plants informed us that they couldn't supply the heat because of the natural gas shortage, and because of the so-called limited running hours of its power generating units. "

Two local thermal power plants refused to comment on its allocation of natural gas and coal. But is this really the best way for the government to introduce northern China's entire central heating module in Wuhan and other cities along the dividing line?

Wang Jinbai, associate dean of Env. School, Huazhong Univ. of Science & Tech. said,"Technically, there is no problem in building the system. But if we consider energy saving, efficiency and environmental protection, I think the best way to solve the problem is to allow multiple heating methods. For instance: air conditioners, household- and unit-based, in addition to a central heating system."

The debate is ongoing, and a solution remains distant.

Xia Ruixue, Wuhan, said,"As the winter gets colder, the debate over whether the government should provide central heating in the south of China is becoming more intense. Many hope that a better way can be found to stop it being so cold indoors and save energy. If that is achieved, it would be part of the well-off society that the government has promised."