1. Project Summary and Relationship to China's Agenda 21 Acid rain pollution in the Sichuan Basin, particularly in the city of Chongqing, is among the most serious in China. Based on current research results and rational planning, this project seeks to control acid rain in Sichuan province in general and Chongqing city in particular by reducing emissions of SO2. This project will be a demonstration of acid rain control technologies and alleviation of the damage caused by acid rain. The proposed project is based on programme area 18A of China's Agenda 21, and is related to programme area 13C.
2. Background Coal is the major source of energy in Sichuan province. In 1995, coal consumption in Sichuan province was about 90 million tons, accounting for 74% of the province's total energy consumption. The sulphur content of the raw coal is 3-5%. Due to out-of-date coal combustion technologies and equipment, SO2 emission from coal combustion is over 2.2 million tons per year, 40% of which comes from coal-fired power plants. With topography and meteorological conditions unfavourable for air pollutant dispersion, Sichuan's acid rain problem is one of the most serious in China. 80% of precipitation in the province is acidic; average pH is below 4.7, and pH values below 3.0 have been recorded. Over 100,000 km2 , in both rural and urban areas, are now affected by acid rain. The areas most seriously affected are in the central, eastern and southern parts of the province, the typical locations of Neijiang and Nanchong cities, Chongqing, and Yibin and Zigong cities respectively. Chongqing has the most serious acid rain problem in China: it emits 800,000 tons of SO2 annually. In recent years the cityís frequency of acid rain has ranged from 85% to 100%, with an average pH value of between 4.0 and 4.1. Damage caused by acid rain amounts to about 2.45 billion RMB for the whole province, and up to 700~800 million RMB for Chongqing city. It is therefore a major constraint on economic and social development. For sustainable development to be realised in these areas, acid rain control is essential. Accordingly, this project focuses on reducing SO2 emissions and the formulation of an acid deposition control strategy for Chongqing and the whole of Sichuan. It will be based on a review of acid rain control in China and abroad, with further studies conducted as necessary. The Government of China has listed Sichuan province as a National Acid Rain Control Zone, and the Sichuan Provincial Government has incorporated acid rain control into its Ninth Five-Year Plan and Long-term Targets for the Year 2010. Chongqing Municipal Government has included clean coal and clean energy technologies in the city's Ninth Five-Year Plan, and is trying to have this acid rain control programme listed as a National Key Project of the Ninth Five-Year Plan. Since the mid-'80s, the governments of Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality have done a large amount of work to control acid rain with the support of the national government. An acid rain monitoring network has been set up. Work has also been done in the fields of industrial boiler and kiln renovation, industrial dust emission reduction, urban gasification, central heating and utilisation of hydropower and biomes resources. Research and development have been conducted in sulphur-retention technology with coal briquettes, additives for sulphur-retention in coal combustion, and the introduction of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) technology for coal-fired power plants. Over the past decade, a FGD process for power plants, namely, the ammonium phosphate process (PAFP), has been developed. Experimental and pilot testing of the PAFP have been completed and a full-scale test with a FGD capacity of 1(105 m3/h will be finished by the end of 1996. Chongqing city has finished the feasibility study and resources assessment for a project which will use coal mine gas as fuel for urban gasification. Sichuan province and Chongqing city have acquired valuable experience in the integrated control of acid rain and already have the technical capacity required for implementing this project.
3. Objectives 3.1 Long-term Objective To establish an integrated system for control of acid rain, improve air quality, promote the environmentally sound economic and social development of Sichuan province and Chongqing city, and provide a demonstration for acid rain control. 3.2 Immediate Objectives * To formulate a comprehensive plan for acid rain control in Sichuan province and Chongqing city, and formulate laws and regulations accordingly; * To finish demonstration projects of FGD in power plants and urban gasification, and to prepare technologies for acid rain control in Sichuan and Chongqing in the 21st Century; * To alleviate serious acid rain pollution, reduce acid rain areas, and reduce the frequency and intensity of acid rain in Sichuan province and Chongqing city.
4. Outputs and Activities 4.1 Acid deposition control plan for Sichuan province and Chongqing city * Study foreign experience of plans to control regional acid deposition, and formulate laws, regulations and implementation options based on local conditions and practicality; * Set progressive SO2 emission control targets for different regions and sectors of Sichuan province and Chongqing city; * Select appropriate control technologies for SO2 emission control and formulate a plan for their dissemination; * Formulate a Long-term plan for acid deposition monitoring in Sichuan province and Chongqing city. Monitoring Indicators: completion of the acid deposition control plan and its implementation schedule Implementing Agencies: research institutes organised by Sichuan Provincial Government and Chongqing Municipal Government Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 1998. 4.2 PAFP process demonstration in a 300 MW power plant * Based on the full-scale test of PAFP, build a FGD demonstration unit in a 300 MW generator at the Douba Power Plant in Yinbin city. Monitoring Indicator: completion of the PAFP demonstration project Implementing Agencies: Sichuan Electric Power Bureau and Sichuan Environmental Protection Research Institute Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 1999. 4.3 Use gas from Songzao Coal Mine to develop urban gasification in Chongqing city * Conduct a feasibility study; * Import or jointly develop gas extraction technology for coal mine gas and build a gas extraction facility for Songzao Coal Mine with a gas extraction capacity of 110 million m3/year; * Import or jointly develop the gas transfer technology and build a gas station and pipelines from Songzao Coal Mine to Chongqing; * Import or jointly develop gas supply technology suitable for Chongqing, and build a gas supply station with a capacity of 100 million m3/year. Monitoring Indicators: completion and successful operation of the gas production and delivery system Implementing Agencies: Chongqing Songzao Mine Bureau and Chongqing Fuel Company Time Schedule: January 1997 - December 1998
5. Inputs 5.1 Chinese Inputs Chinese inputs mainly include the expenses of office and communication, accommodation for involved staff, available technical data, domestic experts, and part of the funding for project management and demonstration engineering. 5.2 International Inputs International inputs mainly include personnel training, expertise on formulation of acid deposition control plan, advanced technology and equipment for extracting, transporting and delivering coal mine gas, and part of funding for construction and equipment purchase. 5.3 Budget The total investment needed for this project is US$ 54.5 million. The Chinese side will raise US$ 20 million from domestic sources, while foreign aid and investment will cover the other US$ 34.5 million.
Table 1. Budget by Item (in million US dollars)
Table 2. Budget by Output (in million US dollars)
6. Benefits The implementation of this project will bring notable environmental benefits. The PAFP demonstration in Douba Power Plant will reduce annual SO2 emissions by 60,000 tons and greatly help promote the widespread adoption of PAFP. It is estimated that an annual reduction of 400,000 tons of SO2 emissions will be achieved if PAFP is installed in 2,000 MW of generating capacity. Supplying coal mine gas from Songzao Coal Mine to Chongqing will replace 100,000 tons of standard coal consumption in Chongqing annually and reduce SO2 emissions by 10,000 tons. This project will therefore accelerate the alleviation of acid rain and improvement of air quality. It will also promote more efficient utilisation of resources, reduce the economic losses caused by pollution, and so bring significant economic and social benefits to Sichuan province and Chongqing city. Furthermore, this project will contribute to technical advances in acid rain control, which will be useful for other areas of China and other countries.
7. Risks The project faces three main problems. First, this large scale project is concerned with a large area and will take a long time to fully implement. This problem is expected to be solved for the project has been incorporated into the Ninth Five-Year Plan and the Long-term Targets for the Year 2010 of Sichuan province and Chongqing city, and the Sichuan Provincial Government and the Chongqing Municipal Government will organise the implementation of this project; in other words, it is guaranteed long term support from all relevant levels of government. Second, China's current technologies and equipment for SO2 emission control are obsolete, therefore developing new technologies and introducing advanced technology and equipment from other countries are necessary. Third, the project is short of funds. This difficulty should be overcome by efforts to obtaining more investment from the national government, increasing the amount of funds raised by local governments and enterprises, and attracting international funds. Text Browser Utilities: |Back| |ACCA21 Home| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||