Lhasa feels the heat thanks to government subsidy
Print Edition
More than 100,000 homes in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, were kept warm this winter thanks to a local government subsidy.
A citywide scheme which was launched in 2012 and completed last year has brought gas to 98 percent of Lhasa’s households and the local government, in conjunction with the Tibet finance department, allocated 370 million yuan (US$60.3 million) to reduce residents’ gas bills.
Lhasa, one of the world’s highest cities, has an annual mean temperature of around 8 degrees Celsius, and temperatures can fall to as low as minus 16 degrees.
Gas used to cost residents at least 4.46 yuan per cubic meter, compared to, for example, 3 yuan in Shanghai and 2.02 yuan in Beijing. This higher cost was because Lhasa’s natural gas must be liquefied before it is transported from Golmud in nearby Qinghai Province, and re-gasified once it arrives.
In 2014, the average annual income in Lhasa was 23,350 yuan, and as gas could cost up to 4,000 yuan over the winter period, many families found it difficult to heat their homes.
The government subsidy, however, has cut the cost per cubic meter to 1.5 yuan for households that use up to 1,500 cubic meters a year.
In addition, households under the poverty line are entitled to 600 cubic meters of free gas a year.
“Daily gas consumption has increased by nearly 20,000 cubic meters since the price adjustment,” said Ysetyong, vice manager of Lhasa Nuanxin Gas and Heating Co Ltd.
“Since the government subsidy, we use gas for heating, cooking and bathing,” said Lhasa resident Changtsan. “And we are no longer afraid of the cold winter nights.”
The scheme has also helped cut pollution with the city seeing significant reductions in carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions last year.
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