The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

New from ENN, China is cracking down on coal plant emissions...

Thursday, October 09, 2003
By Associated Press


BEIJING — China has ordered coal-fired power plants in Beijing and other main cities to install emissions controls to cut down on the release of harmful sulfur dioxide, the official China Daily newspaper reported Thursday.

New requirements released this week by the State Environmental Protection Administration also apply to plants in Shanghai, China's business hub and largest city, and 21 other metropolises, the paper said.

Together with Beijing, those cities account for 60 percent of the country's total sulfur dioxide emissions from coal, vehicle exhaust, and industrial pollution.

If enforced, the regulations could substantially raise costs for producers in China's booming energy market. Most of China's coal is high in sulfur and emissions require substantial treatment to extract the most dangerous pollutants.

China Daily didn't say what sort of reductions were being ordered or when equipment would have to be installed. But it said some emissions reduction equipment must be installed in 137 "key plants" by 2005. China has set a target date of 2005 for reducing sulfur dioxide emissions by 20 percent against the level in 2000.

Equipment must be installed on both existing plants seeking to expand and new ones being built, the paper said. Plants in the China's less-developed west would...(Read on in: China orders stepped-up emissions controls at coal-fired power plants)