North China's Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei have teamed up to promote clean energy consumption in a bid to improve the environment of the region.

The initiative is part of the integrated development program of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province.

The two municipalities and one province have launched a project to build wind, photovoltaic and power storage stations.

Zhangjiakou, a city in Hebei province, boasts more than 6,000 hours of effective winds annually and 3,000 hours of sunshine annually.

As an ideal place for developing renewable energy, the city has attracted more than 30 large new energy enterprises and wind power equipment manufacturing enterprises.

Guo Junfeng with the Zhangjiakou City Development and Reform Commission, says the city has formed a complete chain of production, such as wind power generators, wind mill vanes and tower poles.

"The city will have a total installation capacity up to 20 million kw to become the country's leading comprehensive innovation base for the use of renewable energy by 2020."

Beijing has taken the lead in encouraging the use of electric vehicles.

Xu Xinchao with the Beijing Science and Technology Commission says authorities have provided financial subsidies for the purchase and use of electric vehicles, and will also reduce or exempt parking and toll fees for electric vehicle drivers in the future.

"We have shifted our policy priority from vehicle purchase to vehicle usage in 2015. We have decided to lift restrictions on electric vehicles. At the same time, we are now studying the possibilities of scrapping parking and toll fees for new energy vehicles."

Tianjin has imported 370 million cubic meters of natural gas at a port in the east of the city.

Gao Huaiying, official in charge of the energy department in Tianjin, says the city plans to use natural gas for central heating in all residential quarters in the coming winter.

"We have improved the energy consumption structure in the city. According to the accountability agreement we have signed with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, we will reduce coal consumption by 10 million tons by 2017."

According to plans, all refineries and chemical companies in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei will be using clean energy by the end of 2017.

Besides, the three administrative regions have started to implement coordinated environmental legislation in an effort to improve regional air quality.

Zhou Ying with the standing committee of the Hebei Provincial People's Congress says the coordination will help to achieve more blue skies.

"It helps to break administrative barriers, reduce legislation costs and integrate legislation resources and provides institutional support and guarantee for coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province."

The annual average concentration of PM2.5 in Hebei province dropped by 12 percent over the previous year, exceeding the national reduction target in 2014.

Authorities in the region have reached an agreement to reduce concentration of PM2.5 by 25 percent by 2017.

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