China's national environmental watchdog said at a news
conference Thursday that the country had discharged 25.49 million
tons of sulfur dioxide in 2005, which put it top of a world list
for such discharges.
The figure is 27 percent greater than in 2000, said the State
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), who noted that
21.684 million tons came from industrial releases and 3.89 million
tons from living discharges.
Each ton of discharge could cause 20,000 yuan (about US$2,500)
of economic loss, said Li Xinmin, deputy director of SEPA's air
pollution department. Using these figures it means China could have
suffered a total loss of 509.8 billion yuan (US$63.625 billion) in
2005.
Li said China's coal consumption increased by more than 800
million tons over 2001-2005 period. Of that 500 million tons was
used by the power industry. "Coal accounts for 70 percent of
China's energy consumption and this fact is hard to change in the
short term," he said.
Li explained that 80 percent of the coal was used for direct
combustion and coal-fired power plants had burnt half of the total
coal in China which generated large amounts of sulfur and nitrogen
dioxide and soot.
The country, with only about 5 million kilowatt capacity of
desulfurization facilities put into operation by 2000, has been
promoting such facilities among thermal power plants.
By the end of 2005 there was 142 desulfurization projects either
completed or under construction for major in-service thermal power
plants with a total installed capacity of approximately 50 million
kilowatts.
In its early Outline of the 11th Five-Year (2006-2010) Plan for
National Economic and Social Development, it was promised that
a ten percent reduction of the country's total sulfur dioxide
emissions would be achieved by 2010.
The country's annual sulfur dioxide discharges must be
controlled at no more than 22.95 million tons to achieve this.
"This is a compulsory target," said Li.
SEPA has signed a set of documents with China's six largest
electricity power companies, who are responsible for more than 60
percent of the country's total discharges, which will result in
them reducing their emission to set levels.
(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2006)