In the city of Jiexiu, Shanxi Province, there have been issues arising with heating after the implementation of projects such as “coal-to-electricity” and “coal-to-gas”. This year, problems have surfaced in Yian Town’s Shabao Village where centralized heating was abruptly halted, and in Sanggu Township’s Sandaohe Village where gas prices have surged, causing discontent among villagers who have gathered to protest.
On November 1st, over a hundred villagers from Shabao Village in Yian Town congregated at the village committee to protest against the cessation of heating by the power plant and demanded an explanation. A villager mentioned to a reporter that the issue remains unresolved, highlighting how the power plant took over villagers’ land to build the plant with a contract stipulating free centralized heating for villagers, yet this year they are being charged, prompting villagers to seek clarifications from the village committee.
The villager stated, “Did the power plant occupy the land for nothing? Now they’re asking for money, charging 2.5 yuan per square meter for heating. Even 2.5 yuan is unaffordable for common people, especially when they have no income while resting at home.”
Another villager revealed that the village committee and the power plant had a contract initially, but when villagers requested to see the contract, the committee claimed it was lost. The sudden shift from free services in previous years to charges without any explanation has left the villagers dissatisfied, with no communication from the power plant aggravating the situation.
Data indicates that in 2022, the “coal-to-electricity” project was carried out in Shabao Village of Jiexiu City, involving 14 villages and 1 community, serving 2977 households with a total investment of 42 million yuan in the supporting power grid infrastructure. The Chongguang Power Plant, as the primary heat source provider for the urban area of Jiexiu City, is responsible for supplying heating to Shabao Village.
Efforts to reach the Chongguang Power Plant and the village committee by phone were unsuccessful.
According to a message from social platform X, on November 5th, hundreds of villagers from Sandaohe Village in Sanggu Township gathered in front of the city government to protest against a sudden and significant increase in natural gas prices. Security guards prevented the villagers from entering the office area, leading the angered villagers to blockade the entrance, chanting slogans and demanding the withdrawal of the unreasonable gas price hike.
Multiple villagers confirmed the gas price hike, and to date, their demands have not been addressed.
Sandaohe Village, as the city’s first “coal-free village” pilot, was initiated by the Jiexiu government in 2017 for environmental reasons and to promote clean energy. All coal-fired heating facilities were dismantled, and natural gas wall-mounted boilers were extensively installed. The government had promised various subsidies to encourage villagers’ cooperation, including a subsidy of 1 yuan per cubic meter for gas usage up to 1120 cubic meters per household annually, a 4000 yuan subsidy for wall-mounted boilers, and a 2800 yuan subsidy for network installation. Villagers calculated that with these subsidies, using natural gas for heating would be more cost-effective than traditional coal.
However, due to the increase in natural gas prices this year, on October 22nd, the government issued a document raising the gas price from 2.61 yuan per cubic meter to 2.97 yuan per cubic meter, with adjusted tiered prices reaching as high as 4.45 yuan per cubic meter, a price hike far beyond the villagers’ affordability.
Under the guise of environmental protection, the government unilaterally dismantled all coal furnaces, prohibiting their reinstatement, leaving villagers with no alternative heating options.
An angry villager expressed online, “Born in a coal-rich hometown, we used to work with coal and had warmth at home, warmth in our hearts, and a little money in our pockets. Now we use gas, but the gas price has doubled. Our homes are as cold as refrigerators, with elders and children catching colds and coughs. Unable to afford gas, our pockets are empty, our hearts are cold. How will old farmers survive this winter?”