China proposes stronger emissions standards for thermal power

• 13 years ago (2011-09-23)
• Junior Isles

Asia 892 North America 1021

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China is to strengthen its emission standards for thermal power plants, a main source of pollution, as it strives to combat worsening environmental degradation.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a report that emissions allowances for harmful sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and soot would be reduced for thermal power plants, while mercury discharges from coal burning and emissions from gas-fired boilers would also be regulated for the first time.

Beijing aims to also toughen emissions regulations in particularly environmentally-sensitive regions.

The new standards, taking effect from January 1, 2012, may involve about 260 billion yuan ($40.7 billion) in new investments for power generation firms by 2015, to meet several key requirements.

The industry and environmental impact of these new protocols is likely to be significant. China had 707 GW of thermal power generating capacity at the end of 2010, accounting for 73 per cent of overall power generating capacity. A majority of the plants use coal as fuel and half of China's coal output is used for power generation.