Pollution fear cancels Beijing power plant plan
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A plan to build a waste incineration power plant in a Beijing suburb was dropped as residents stepped up a campaign against it over pollution concerns.
The power plant in the outlaying Liulitun area, which was listed as a key infrastructure project in Beijing's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), was finally called off after relentless protests from residents over the past several years, Zhao Fengtong, Party chief of Beijing's Haidian District, said at a recent meeting, The Beijing News reported yesterday.
The district government decided to cancel the plan after a thorough analysis, said Wang Weiping, an expert in garbage processing. Wang also admitted the fierce objections by residents was a major reason the plant will not be built.
"The government thinks it's not proper to build a waste incineration power plant close to high-end residential complexes," Wang was quoted as saying in the report.
According to nearby residents, the proposed power plant would be less than 1 kilometer from Jingmi Diversion Canal, which diverts water from Miyun reservoir to Beijing's tap water supply system.
Experts said cancer-inducing chemicals produced when garbage is burned would fall into the canal, polluting the capital's tap water and risking people's health.
Beijing lists the canal as a first-class water resource protection area.
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