China Claims Partial Win for Industry Pollution Curbs
Date: 01-Feb-07
Country: CHINA
Earlier this month, the State Environmental Protection Agency announced it would suspend new environmental permits for companies and municipalities until they addressed violations on existing projects.
Unusually, it targeted large firms among its list of sinners.
SEPA would apply "administrative punishment" to responsible officials that failed to comply and would restrict new permits to neighbouring firms and industries if the targeted companies or their local governments did not respond, said SEPA's deputy director, Pan Yue, in the statement.
Datang International Power Generation Co. had stopped operating power plants in Hebei and Laiwu Iron and Steel Group had stopped construction on a cold rolling plant in Shandong, SEPA said on its Web site (www.sepa.gov.cn).
SEPA also praised state-owned power generators Huadian Corp., Huaneng Group and China Guodian Corp. for their quick response to SEPA's Jan. 10 announcement that they would not get environmental approval for any new projects until they resolved problems with existing plants.
However, it said a number of power generators, including Inner Mongolia's Erdos Electrical Power & Metallurgical Co., a unit of Erdos Cashmere <600295.SS>, had yet to heed instructions to halt operations.
