Heyuan residents…petition[ed]…for plans for a new power plant to be scrapped, saying it will bring more smog to the already polluted skies of the northeastern Guangdong city. Shenzhen Energy is spending 8 billion yuan…to build the coal-fired plant, which will generate 11 billion kWh annually.

It is designed to emit less pollution than regular plants, according to local authorities, although the environmental impact assessment report has yet to be made public…Construction is due to begin this year, according to local media…To avoid being charged with illegal assembly, organisers asked people to walk away after signing…[A] volunteer said many of the residents had been inspired by former CCTV presenter Chai Jing's documentary Under the Dome, which chronicles the mainland's pollution problems…More police and urban maintenance officers than usual were patrolling the area, volunteers said…

The Shenzhen government is the major shareholder in Shenzhen Energy. Neither the company nor Heyuan municipal officials could be reached for comment yesterday. Heyuan recorded only 129 days when the air was considered healthy in the first 11 months of last year, less than half the readings in 2013…