BEIJING — China has seen great progress in expanding the use of clean energy for winter heating with higher energy efficiency in its northern region, according to a report released on Dec 20.

The report, jointly released by the China Economic Information Service and the Institute of Quantitative and Technical Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, comprehensively evaluated the heating situation of 107 cities in North China covered by the central heating in aspects including economic and energy efficiency, environmental friendliness and consumer satisfaction.

Benefiting from the increasing government support, most of the cities witnessed improvements in clean energy use and air quality. Beijing plays the leading role in terms of green heating thanks to the advancement of projects replacing coal with gas and electricity, read the report.

However, the report also noted that the long-term coal-dominated energy structure remains a major challenge in coping with air pollution and the cost of clean energy remains high.

In October, Chinese authorities released an action plan for air pollution control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and nearby areas, calling for efforts to accelerate the adjustment of the energy structure by effectively pushing clean heating and controlling coal consumption.