Air pollution control plan will be introduced

In response to the “Ten Measures for Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution” issued by the State Council in the past, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has taken the lead to formulate a national air pollution prevention action plan (hereinafter referred to as the “plan”). In the next five years, it is estimated that an investment of RMB 1,700 billion will be used to improve the current state of air pollution.

An informed person involved in the drafting of the "plan" briefed reporters. "We have already passed relevant discussions, and we have also made some amendments. We are currently improving and the details of the plan will be introduced in the near future."

PM2.5 governance is the focus

In June of this year, Zhao Hualin, Director of the Department of Pollution Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, focused on interpreting the “Ten Measures for Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution” of the State Council on Prevention and Development of Air Pollution and Industrial Development. He said that “China will increase its efforts to prevent and control air pollution. It is estimated that it will invest 1.7 trillion yuan in the next five years to improve the current state of air pollution."

The "Ten Measures for Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution" put forward requirements for reducing pollutant emissions, adjusting energy structure, and managing PM2.5. The person familiar with the matter said that in response to these requests, the "plan" will formulate detailed rules, including how to implement the plan and how much money will be invested in the next five years.

It is understood that the management of PM2.5 will be the focus of the plan for the next five years. Wu Xiaoqing, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, once stated that he will strive to reach the secondary air quality standards by 2030 for all cities in the country.

The newly promulgated "Ambient Air Quality Standards" stipulates that the average PM2.5 limit is 15 μg/m3 at the first level and 35 μg/m3 at the second level. However, from the point of view released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in May's key areas and 74 cities' air quality, the monthly PM2.5 concentration was 55 micrograms/cubic meter. According to industry experts, in recent years, the annual average concentration of PM2.5 in China is generally between 60 and 80 μg/m3, and some key areas even exceed 100 μg/m3.

In comparison, if we are to achieve the urban air quality goals of 2030, we still have great difficulties. The person familiar with the matter said that in order to be able to achieve the goal of achieving the secondary air quality standard in all cities in China by 2030, the “plan” will set a new air quality target as a phased transition.

Strengthen the promotion of "coal gas reform"

Since the beginning of this year, China has encountered a large area of ​​hazy weather, and one of the most important culprits for hazy weather is coal burning.

National Bureau of Statistics data show that in 2012, the country’s primary energy consumption totaled 3.62 billion tons of standard coal, an increase of 3.9% over the previous year, of which coal consumption increased by 2.5%. Judging from the development trend in recent years, the total coal consumption in China has maintained a growth trend due to the impact of economic growth driving the increase in energy demand.

"Coal to gas" is also an important part of the "Ten Measures for Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution." However, compared to coal, natural gas and other clean energy are obviously weak in the proportion of China's energy structure. In 2012, the apparent consumption of natural gas in China was 147.1 billion cubic meters, and the share of natural gas in primary energy was only about 5%.

According to Luo Jianhua, secretary-general of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce's Environmental Chamber of Commerce, the most direct way to adjust the energy structure mentioned now is to control coal consumption. New energy consumption can only be achieved through other clean energy sources such as natural gas, wind power and nuclear power. It is estimated that by 2020, China will increase the share of natural gas in primary energy consumption from about 5% now to 10% and reach 15% by 2030.

In addition, the implementation period of the “plan” is five years. It is a short-term plan, and many environmental experts have told reporters that for prevention and control of the atmospheric environment, a medium- and long-term plan is also needed.

In response, the person familiar with the situation said, "At present, we are drafting a longer-term 2030 plan under the organization of the relevant departments."