SO2 emissions down 9.1% in China's power sector
Other accomplishments in 2007 listed in the report:
• The commissioning of 120 million kilowatts of desulfurization devices for coal-fired units;
• The addition of 13 million metric tons per day of urban sewage-processing capacity;
• A 3.2% decrease in chemical oxygen demand (COD), or the amount of chemicals found in water, to 13.82 million metric tons;
• A 4.7% drop in overall SO2 emissions to 24.69 million metric tons.
SO2 emissions in Beijing and Shandong's COD dropped 13.8% and 5% year over year, respectively, ranking No. 1 in the country. However, the emission of major pollutants in Hainan, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Tibet increased.
The ministry also highlighted problems in operational desulfurization devices. China Resources Power Holding Company Limited (Hong Kong), Guizhou Jinyuan Company Limited (Guiyang) and Shanxi International Power Group Company Limited (Taiyuan) were punished after failing to commission the equipment last year at the Hubei Puqi Power Plant, the Jinsha Power Plant, the Xishui Power Plant of the Qinbei General Plant and the Liulin Power Plant. The ministry has temporarily suspended the approval of environmental impact assessments for the companies' thermal power projects until the desulfurization devices are commissioned.
In addition, seven power plants were fined five times the tariff charged for desulfurization facilities after failure to properly operate the equipment. The plants will be required to correct the problem within an unspecified period of time.
Related News

More Polar Vortex 2021 Fallout (and Texas Two-Step): Monitor For ERCOT Identifies Improper Payments For Ancillary Services
DALLAS - Potomac Economics, the Independent Market Monitor (IMM) for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), filed a report with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) that certain payments were made by ERCOT for Ancillary Services (AS) that were not provided.
According to the IMM (emphasis added):
There were a number of instances during the operating days outlined above in which AS was not provided in real time because of forced outages or derations. For market participants that are not able to meet their AS responsibility, typically the ERCOT operator marks the short amount in the software. This causes the…