Turn waste in electricity, says leading state-owned sector financier

Generating power using waste straw, the most common agricultural byproduct is one of the solutions being proposed to develop the countryside and improve the environment, according to Li Xiaopeng, who is the chairman of the state-owned finance company China Everbright Group.

Li Xiaopeng, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), receives an interview ahead of the closing meeting of the second session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua]

Li spoke about his proposal during an interview ahead of the closing of the second session of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

This was the second year running that he has submitted a proposal on the use of waste straw to generate electricity.

Farmers are bundling wheat straw, to be transported to local places like paper mills and power plants, in Suixi County, Anhui Province, on June 14, 2017. [File Photo: VCG]

Farmers tend to dispose of straw by burning it, which then becomes a source of air pollution. Li has proposed that household waste be composed with straw so that it can be used as a source of fuel for a power plant.

This idea has been implemented at a power plant byChina Everbright Group in Fengyang County in Anhui Province, which went into service at the end of 2017.

China Everbright Group has said that it is willing to funnel its financial resources into the development of environmentally-friendly industries.