Evaluation Summary - District Heating Projects in Jinzhong and Taiyuan

In China, district heating projects in Jinzhong and Taiyuan were subject to an evaluation in May 2017.

In 2005, the Government of the People’s Republic of China set national goals for reducing the carbon intensity by 40% per unit of GDP by 2020. In line with these goals, the two projects common objective was to promote collective and centralized district heating using cogeneration power plants. They aimed to improve public services in urban heating, to meet national sustainable goals and to favour commercial and institutional ties between France and China.

The evaluation rated both projects very well as both of them not only met the established goals, but sometimes even exceeded them. An efficient and innovative urban heating was implemented which considerably improved access to heat supplies in Jinzhong and Taiyuan. The projects are now leading a new trend in the Chinese district heating sector. However, the evaluation found that a few issues could have been mitigated through increased technical assistance and capacity building activities from the AFD.