The Benefits of the Clean Heating Plan on Air Quality in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region

Abstract

Coal-to-gas/electricity conversion (hereafter referred to as CTGC/CTEC) as the core project of a clean heating campaign has been widely adopted to replace and reduce the combustion of residential coal in Northern China since 2017. In this study, simulations based on the WRF-Chem model were carried out to quantitatively assess the impacts of the CTGC/CTEC project on air quality in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region. It was found that the CTGC/CTEC projects exert a remarkable effect on improving the air quality in the BTH region, especially in the plain area. The maximum decrease in the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 averaged during January can reach 30 and 40 μg/m3, respectively. In addition, the spillover effects due to CTGC/CTEC projects are rather small; that is, the local reduced emissions tend to provide more benefit to the local air quality but less for its surrounding regions. It is also noteworthy that the effects due to meteorological condition changes are comparable with, or even larger, than those due to CTGC/CTEC projects, which are not spatially uniform for the BTH region among various cities. Overall, these results not only demonstrate the effectiveness of CTGC/CTEC projects on air-quality improvement in the BTH region, but also indicate the importance of meteorological conditions in modulating the local air quality. To sustain better air quality in the future, residential coal replacement, all over China, can be further promoted. In addition, continued policy refinement can be essential for the nationwide implementation of clean heating projects.