Unit 2 of the Qingyuan Power Plant in south China's Guangdong Province has realized 10-percent biomass co-firing by energy ratio, marking the first such achievement for a million-kilowatt double-reheat unit in China and filling a domestic technological gap, the China Energy Investment Corporation announced Saturday.
The Qingyuan Power Plant is China's only large clean and efficient power facility operating four million-kW double-reheat units under integrated management.
The project has been selected as a pilot for new power system capacity building by the National Energy Administration.
The co-firing was achieved using an advanced independent biomass combustion technology developed by Longyuan Technology, enabling biomass fuels such as straw and furniture offcuts to account for 10 percent of total heat input.
The mixed combustion of biomass and coal remained stable throughout the process, with furnace temperature, flue gas emissions, unit load and other key operating parameters all within qualified ranges.
The new co-firing achievement also promises substantial environmental gains.
"Biomass co-firing can replace 142,000 tonnes of standard coal each year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 347,000 tonnes, an ecological benefit equivalent to planting 1.8 million trees," said Fan Qingwei, deputy director of the equipment management department at China Energy's Qingyuan Power Plant.
China's first million-kW double-reheat unit achieves 10 pct biomass co-firing
Displaced farming families are returning to their homeland in Gaza City, restoring fields and growing food again, though challenges like poor farming conditions and lack of supplies remain.
In parts of Gaza, farmland damaged during Israel's war on the enclave is slowly coming back to life.
Fresh vegetables are being harvested again from farmland in Gaza City's Al-Zaitoun neighborhood.
For the Al-Dahdouh family, these crops mark the return of their land to life.
The challenges have been immense. Nearly three years of war have left much of Gaza's farmland damaged or bulldozed, making the return to farming a difficult task for families trying to start again.
"When we returned after being displaced, the land was covered with piles of rubble and debris and was difficult to access. Everyone in the family worked together to rehabilitate it for farming. Thankfully, we were finally able to cultivate it again," said Wajiha Al-Dahdouh, a Palestinian farmer.
Rebuilding livelihoods and restoring a sense of normal life remains difficult after the three years of war, repeated displacement and the loss of income for many families.
"We can't afford to hire workers to help us with farming because of the high costs. We also face serious difficulties securing water for irrigation and pesticides. It has been a huge burden on us," said Iman Al-Dahdouh, another Palestinian farmer.
The Al-Dahdouh family is among around 350 farming families supported by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with Relief Housing Units and farming assistance.
Around 1,100 families are expected to benefit in total.
"For the last three years, it has been total destruction, and people have had to leave their homelands. The families have been displaced multiple times to various locations in the midland south area of the Gaza Strip. What you see here now is life returning to the neighborhood, and UNDP supports these families through providing dignified shelters and housing solutions through what we call relief housing units," said Margunn Indreboe Alshaikh, deputy special representative of UNDP Palestine.
The initiative is part of UNDP's Neighbourhood Approach, combining housing with basic services and livelihood support.
Displaced farmers arrive back in Gaza amid challenges
