China's coal heartland to put emissions caps on industry as part of battle against pollution
Shanxi province to introduce curbs by autumn this year as part of ongoing efforts to tackle smog
The major coal producing province of Shanxi in northern China will impose special emissions restrictions on big industrial sectors by October as part of its bid to curb smog, a local environmental official said.
Shanxi, together with neighbouring Shaanxi, is set to be included in China’s new three-year action plan to curb air pollution, with emissions in the two provinces second only to the smog-prone Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei industrial region.
The province produces more than 900 million tonnes of coal a year, a quarter of China’s total, and is also a major gas and petrochemical producer.
The new measures will force factories and boilers in the cities of Taiyuan, Yangquan, Changzhi and Jincheng to comply with new restrictions on sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, according to a document circulated by environmental groups.
The document’s accuracy was confirmed by an official with the province’s environmental protection agency. He did not want to give his name.