Major emitters seriously exceeding pollution discharge limits

Based on the real time disclosure of on-line monitoring data, a group of major emitters, including thermal power plants and steel factories, are seriously exceeding pollution discharge limits, according to a report released Tuesday in Beijing.

The Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Phase II Report, a report aiming to analyze and evaluate the current air quality information in China, is jointly issued by The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE), in conjunction with the Renmin University Institute of Environment and Planning, the SEE Foundation, Friends of Nature, Envirofriends and Nature University.

Real time disclosure has highlighted serious pollution, which has prompted several areas to develop emergency contingency plans for times when pollution is severe. However, details on the implementation and effectiveness of some crucial measures have still not been confirmed, the report said.

The provinces of Shandong, Zhejiang, and Hebei were among the first to start real-time disclosure of online monitoring data. The Director of IPE Ma Jun said the good practice shown in Shandong, Zhejiang and Hebei Provinces helps fulfill the public’s right to know, and also helps to identify the main pollution sources within that geographical region. However, online disclosure platforms in other important provinces and municipalities, such as Tianjin, Guangdong and Hunan, have not been published as required, which is regrettable.

Real-time disclosure helps in understanding the pollution sources located in a particular region. By comparing online data, it was found that the level of industrial pollution source discharge varied significantly from region to region. Looking at the discharge from some of the major enterprises in Shandong, Hebei and Beijing for the period October to December 2013, nitrogen oxide discharge volume for eight major pollution sources in Shandong, and eight in Hebei, were respectively 37 and 30 times greater than the discharge from eight main pollution sources in Beijing for the same period. This shows that these pollution sources should be the focus for emissions reductions.

It should be noted that Shandong province has already brought forward the implementation of stricter discharge standards for key industries like thermal power and steel production, and Hebei has also recently implemented new stricter standards for the steel industry. However, key provincial and municipal discharge standards in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Liaoning Provinces, as well as discharge standards for thermal power production and cement factories in Hebei Province, and NOx standards in Tianjin Municipality, have yet to be made more stringent.

Gu Beibei, a Senior Project Manager from IPE, feels that even though there is less than a year before new national emission standards for power and iron and steel industries are implemented, many companies are still not fully prepared. Whether or not these companies can reach the national standards within six months is a worry.