China reveals multi-pronged air pollution battle plan(2)

LESS POLLUTANT SOURCES

The government said combined heat and power plants will gradually replace decentralized coal-fired boilers in chemical engineering, papermaking, dyeing and tanning industry clusters.

China will quicken construction of desulfurization, denitrification and dedusting facilities in coal-fired plants, steel mills and cement plants, it added.

The plan calls for technological upgrades at refinery businesses to improve the quality of fuel oil, which affects vehicle emissions.

The government aims to clear heavy-polluting "yellow-label" vehicles from roads across the country by 2017.

As part of a broader air pollution campaign, China will promote the transformation and upgrading of industries, and further tighten control over high-polluting and energy-intensive industries.

Greater efforts will be made to eliminate outdated production capacity in the sectors of iron and steel, cement, electrolytic aluminum and sheet glass, the plan says.

A target for closing outdated production capacity in key industrial sectors that was originally set for 2015 will be achieved by 2014, it adds.

Heavier penalties will be imposed for violations of environmental, energy conservation and safety requirements, while energy conservation and environmental protection standards will be strictly implemented to support the phasing out of excess production capacity.

China has been under growing pressure to address the causes of air pollution after heavy smog smothered large swathes of the country early this year.

Beijing's average PM 2.5 density in January was 180 micrograms per cubic meter, about 30 percent higher than the level recorded during the same period in 2011.

Environment Minister Zhou Shengxian acknowledged in June that China's atmospheric environment situation is grave, saying industrial restructuring and adjusting the country's energy mix are keys to addressing the problem.

Analysts welcomed the new move, saying it showed the central authority's determination to curb air pollution. However, some warned that the goals outlined require great efforts to achieve.

"It will be an arduous task to realize these very specific and relatively high targets for environmental improvement," said Chai Fahe, deputy head of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. "But it's possible to achieve them."

"The plan shows the government's concern over public health as well as its reflection on some unsustainable development modes," he said.

(Updated)