Watchdog tells sector to cut emissions or face ban on future plant building
The mainland's environmental regulator has intensified its crackdown on the power sector, issuing clean-up ultimatums to 46 power plants barely a week after ordering a halt to construction of 26 plants that failed to obtain environmental approvals.
The State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) has demanded that the 46 coal-fired plants - including 19 operated by five state-owned power generation companies - install desulphurisation equipment by year-end, says a statement on its website.
The power companies must file complete project feasibility proposals by Monday and begin construction by the end of April or face a blanket ban on further project approvals.
Nine of the targeted plants are in Shandong province, one of the few areas in the country where there is an electricity glut. Seven are owned by Hong Kong-listed companies Huadian Power International, Huaneng Power International and Datang Power International Generation.
Rules requiring emission scrubbers that remove sulphur - the primary cause of acid rain - have been in place for years, but it is far cheaper for many producers to pay pollution fines than to install the equipment.
