The plan for autumn and winter air pollution control in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has been issued, adjusting the “one-size-fits-all” production restrictions.

To fully prepare for air pollution prevention and control work during the autumn and winter of 2018-2019, Vice Premier Han Zheng of the State Council presided over the first meeting of the Leading Group for Air Pollution Prevention and Control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas and delivered an important speech. The meeting reviewed and adopted the "Action Plan for Comprehensive Governance of Air Pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region and Surrounding Areas during Autumn and Winter of 2018-2019" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan").

The Plan stipulates that, starting from October 1, 2018, the special emission limits for air pollutants in the power generation, steel, petrochemical, chemical, non-ferrous metal (excluding alumina), and cement industries, as well as industrial boilers, will be strictly enforced, and the upgrading and transformation of pollution control facilities in key industries will be promoted. By the end of December 2018, the delineation of ecological protection red lines will be completed.

In terms of deepening industrial pollution control, the plan stipulates that all localities are prohibited from adding new chemical industrial parks, and efforts will be made to strengthen the integration and improvement and concentrated governance of various development zones to reduce pollution in industrial clusters. Following the principle of "one zone, one heat source", the effective integration of scattered coal-fired boilers within the parks will be promoted.

In addition, the relocation and transformation or closure and exit of heavily polluting enterprises in urban built-up areas should be accelerated, and a number of relocation projects for heavily polluting enterprises such as cement, glass, coking, and chemical industries should be promoted.

The goal of this campaign is to, on the basis of consolidating the achievements in improving air quality, promote continuous improvement of air quality. Between October 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019, the average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas will decrease by about 3% year-on-year, and the number of days with severe and above pollution will decrease by about 3% year-on-year.

The implementation scope of the plan is in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas, including:

Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, Handan, Xingtai, Baoding, Cangzhou, Langfang, and Hengshui in Hebei Province; Taiyuan, Yangquan, Changzhi, and Jincheng in Shanxi Province; Jinan, Zibo, Jining, Dezhou, Liaocheng, Binzhou, and Heze in Shandong Province; Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Anyang, Hebi, Xinxiang, Jiaozuo, and Puyang in Henan Province (referred to as "2+26" cities, including Dingzhou and Xinji in Hebei Province, and Jiyuan in Henan Province).

The plan points out that the basic idea of this air pollution control is to adjust and optimize the industrial structure, energy structure, transportation structure, and land use structure, focusing on promoting clean heating, the shift from road to rail transport, and the upgrading and transformation of enterprises. It will consolidate the achievements of the comprehensive governance of "scattered, chaotic, and polluting" enterprises, severely crack down on diesel trucks, industrial kilns, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), strengthen regional joint prevention and control, effectively respond to heavy pollution weather, strictly supervise and hold accountable, and deeply promote the autumn and winter air pollution comprehensive governance campaign.

Wall Street News VIP content comments stated that this autumn and winter air pollution comprehensive governance plan for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas has made significant adjustments compared to last year, and the relaxation of production restrictions is quite obvious. This document is more from the perspective of environmental protection standards, dynamically revising the "one-size-fits-all" production restrictions.

At the same time, the continuously improving environmental protection standards in recent years have eliminated the production capacity of many heavily polluting enterprises in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region that do not meet environmental protection standards. Therefore, the effectiveness of this document is more reflected in the subsequent law enforcement efforts, and the impact on production capacity may not be as significant as the market expected at the beginning of the year.

Author: Liu Binlian