URUMQI -- Natural gas and electricity will become the only heating sources in Northwest China's Urumqi city, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

According to the city's heating bureau, over 19,000 coal-fired heating facilities on the urban fringe will be replaced with clean energy heating by the year end.

Urumqi began replacing coal with natural gas in the city proper in 2012. Since last year, it has dismantled 32,000 coal-fired boilers in its rural regions, reducing winter coal burning by 183,000 tonnes, and emissions by 2,900 tonnes of sulfur dioxide and 7,300 tonnes of smoke and dust.

The power-rich region is also promoting electric heating in schools, businesses and public institutions, with the heating area exceeding 7 million square meters so far.