The Environmental Protection Bureau of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has signed letters of responsibility with 16 enterprises for the reduction of SO2 emissions, and has also set up detailed schedule for this.
The 16 enterprises are mainly in the thermal power and metal smelting industries with high SO2 emissions. According to the schedule, they should all complete the construction of desulphurization facilities with desulfurization efficiency above 85% by August 2010. Three enterprises should finish desulphurization facility construction by the end of 2008.
Xinjiang has made some improvements in emission reduction of major pollutants in recent years. However the rapid development of the coal-chemical and coal-fired electricity industries has lead to increasing emissions of major pollutants while the construction work of desulphurization facilities in existing enterprises is lagging behind.
In the future, local environmental departments will simplify and accelerate the approval procedures for correction projects. Meanwhile, legal, administrative, and economic measures will be taken for those enterprises that fail to take action.
