China's Largest Coal Plant Over NOX Limits Every Week; @ New Standards = Continuous Violations

[hatrack]

China’s largest coal-fired power plant has been violating national emission standards for chemicals that cause dangerous fine particulate matter pollution, official figures show. The Waigaoqiao coal-fired power plant located in Shanghai has been violating China’s national standards for nitrogen oxides every week since new standards came into force in July, according to analysis of publicly available government data by researchers at Greenpeace East Asia.

The data shows that phase two of the Waigaoqiao plant, which has a capacity of 1,800MW, has been emitting nitrogen oxides in excess of emission standards used by the local environmental protection bureau 18% of the time.

Research by Greenpeace also shows that the local regulator is not yet using the national standards on nitrogen oxides. If the new standards were being used, the group said the plant would be in violation almost all of the time.

Waigaoqiao is often praised as the cleanest coal-powered plant in China and is seen as a showcase for other plants in the country. However such a large violation of emissions standards at this plant shows that China is still struggling with enforcing its environmental protection laws and regulations. “The gap in enforcement is still there,” said Ma Jun, the director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs in Beijing, which also monitors pollution levels throughout China. The case shows that even in the well-developed coastal regions of China “there is still an enforcement gap, but the gap is bigger in the mid and western parts of China,” he said.

EDIT

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/18/chinas-largest-coal-power-plant-violating-air-pollution-levels-every-week

[DetlefK]

1. Nitrogen oxide + water = acid rain.

Better get an acid-proof raincoat when in Shanghai.