China plans to launch a campaign to cut toxic emissions by oil refining and storage companies as well as chemicals, pharmaceutical and packaging firms during the summer.
Beijing has identified ground ozone pollution, including due volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from industrial plants, as a major cause of poor air quality during the summer season in China.
From July 1 it will introduce tougher VOC emission standards and will tighten supervision of production, transport and storage at plants in 102 cities across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Fenwei Plain and eastern China regions, according to a draft plan issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on May 18.
The environment ministry will also ask oil refiners, chemicals companies and coal-to-liquids, pharmaceutical and pesticide firms to avoid arranging overhauls during the peak time of ground ozone pollution in order to reduce VOC emissions.
Maintenance plans at companies will need to be submitted to the MEE by the end of May.
The ministry will send experts to carry out research on ozone pollution in Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan province in late May, and will launch inspections at industrial plants from June.
MEE will publish monthly ground ozone pollution levels for the 102 cities and will penalise local authorities that fail the pollution control targets.
SOURCE:REUTERS