Did an Ultra-Low Emissions Policy on Coal-Fueled Thermal Power Reduce the Harmful Emissions? Evidence from Three Typical Air Pollutants Abatement in China.

Penghao Ye,Huarong Zhang,Jiamin Liang,Fei Li,Chaoyang Liu,Senmao Xia,Yu Xiong

doi:10.3390/ijerph17228555

Abstract

Thermal power generation based on coal-fired power plants has the advantages of stability and controllability and has been the largest source of electricity supply in China. Coal-fired power plants, however, are also accompanied by high carbon emissions and the release of harmful substances (mainly including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and smoke dust), and are even regarded as the “chief criminal” in terms of air pollution. However, thermal power is also a pioneering industry involved in several environmental regulations and cleaner production techniques before other industries. Evidence of this is China’s ultra-low emissions (ULE) policy on coal-fired power plants, implemented in 2015. To verify this policy’s effect, this study treats ULE as an exogenous impact variable, examining its emissions reduction effect on SO2, NOx, and smoke dust in Eastern and Central China using the difference-in-difference method (DID). The results show that the total emissions of the three pollutants were abated by 0.133%, 0.057% and 0.036% in Eastern, and by 0.120%, 0.035% and 0.043% in Central China at every 1% rise of thermal power generated after ULE. In addition, several other factors can also argue for the promotion of thermal power. Other industries, such as steel or chemical, have proven that they can contribute significant SO2 and NOx emissions. Based on these results, we provide suggestions on synergistic emissions reduction among multiple industries, as well as a discussion on the necessity of implementing ULE in Western China.

Highlights

The results show that the ultra-low emissions (ULE) policy on SO2 emissions is fairly effective, as the coefficients of the difference method (DID) model are both statistically significant at the 1% level
We tested the ULE policy using the DID method, first proposing the hypothesis that the ULE can significantly reduce the emissions of SO2, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and smoke dust (H1)
Our results show that Hypothesis 1 (H1) is valid, as the introduction of the ULE has substantially reduced these three air pollutants in Eastern and Central China, where thermal power accounts for more than 78% and 75% of the total gross generation, respectively, i.e., about 48% and 34% of the entire country’s gross generation

Summary

Introduction

Thermal power generation is a fundamental power source in modern countries. Due to the sufficient reserves of coal and the stable and controllable features of electricity generation, this means of electricity generation, mainly based on coal firing, has become the mainstay among most countries since. China should reach these limits, but the latter may be given a longer time allowance considering economic among these regions. Before the differing formal issue of thepositions ultra-low emissions policy, China had completed a significant is the least developed, this standard is a recommendation rather than an obligation. Amount of investigations on the current status of thermal power emissions in various regions, as well as summarizing the effects that previous regulation policies have had on the thermal power industry. Emission standards for air pollutants from coal-fired power plants

Methods

Results

Conclusion