Hebei Province to ensure clean winter coal supply to reduce air pollution

China's Hebei Province has said it will ensure sufficient supplies of clean coal during the next three winters to avoid heating fuel shortages and reduce toxic air emissions.

Several regions of China encountered fuel shortages last winter as China pushed to switch millions of households to natural gas from coal as part of its anti-pollution campaign.

In August this year, Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng urged authorities to "steadily promote clean winter heating in NorthChina and ensure people are safe and warm."

Hebei, which surrounds the capital Beijing and major port Tianjin, is a key battlefield of the clean air effort. It will offer for purchase this winter 18.2 million tons of clean coal, including anthracite or blue coal, to 9.1 million households without access to clean-energy heating, a statement on the central government website showed.

Hebei will offer 12.8 million tons of clean coal in 2019 and 7.4 million tons in 2020.

Hebei said it has signed contracts with major coal miners such as China Shenhua, Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Mining Group, Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group to ensure the supply of clean coal.

"Local authorities should urge coal mining companies to operate under full loads and improve transportation networks to guarantee coal supply to all the households in need," the government statement said.

The province also said it will offer subsidies for residential clean coal use during the heating season at around 500 yuan ($71.85) a ton of clean coal.

Current anthracite coal spot prices in China are around 1,140 yuan a ton, while thermal coal prices are around 650 yuan a ton, according to Zheshang Securities.