(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-01-19 14:25

More than half of China's coal-fired power plants are equipped with desulfurization facilities, a ratio higher than that of the United States.

But high operational costs have led to many of the facilities lying idle, senior environmental officials said on Friday.

Xie Zhenhua, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission urged all thermal power plants to run their desulfurization facilities at full capacity to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions.

He was speaking at a contract signing ceremony under which several specialist desulfurization companies have agreed to deliver cutting-edge technology to help power plants reduce their emissions, which are a major cause of acid rain.

Zhang Lijun, vice-minister of the State Environment Protection Administration also expressed concern over power plants' unwillingness to run their desulfurization facilities.

"If they are not used, these facilities are worthless," Zhang said.

The vice-ministers said the government has been seeking market-based incentives to reduce SO2 emissions at thermal power plants.

The contracted desulfurization companies, which agreed to help selected plants reduce their emissions, will be paid a subsidy for their efforts.

The government will pay the firms 0.015 yuan per kW, which approximates to the cost to operate the facilities. Major power companies including China Datang Corporation and Huaneng Power International will take part in a pilot project.

"The new market mechanism will improve the quality and speed of desulfurization projects, and aid the supervision process," Zhang said.

Guo Liming, vice-president of China Boqi Environmental Solutions Technology (Holding) Co Ltd told China Daily the measure will ensure the quality of desulfurization, as all of the partner companies are specialists in the field.

The government has put the reduction of SO2 emissions at the top of its "green" agenda.

In the first three quarters of last year, SO2 emissions fell 1.8 percent and chemical oxygen demand (COD), a key measure of water pollution, fell 0.28 percent, the first time both tallies had dropped in the same year.