no more trash-fired powerplants

新京报/The Beijing News reports that the Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Development and Reform Commission, and the Energy Resources Bureau (but wait, that’s a branch of the SDRC, but the report seems to list them separately….) have decided no more trash-fired powerplants should be built in urban areas. I wonder…. Could there be a connection?

城区禁止新建垃圾焚烧电厂

Forbidden to build new trash-fired powerplants in urban areas

垃圾焚烧发电厂一般不得在城市建成区新建。昨日，环保部、国家发改委、国家能源局下发通知，要求加强生活垃圾焚烧发电厂等发电项目的环保管理。

Trash-fired powerplants should in general not be constructed in built-up urban areas. Yesterday the Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Development and Reform Council and Energy Resources Bureau announced they require a strengthening of the environmental management of domestic trash-fired powerplants and other power generation projects.

两部委要求，垃圾焚烧发电厂等生物质发电项目一般不得在城市建成区中新建。同时，还应根据恶臭等污染物排放情况，明确合理的防护距离。作为与周围居民区以及学校、医院等公共设施的控制间距，新改扩建项目的防护距离不得小于300米。

The ministry and commission require that trash-fired powerplants and other biomass power generation projects should in general not be constructed in urban built-up areas. At the same time, they should also make clear a reasonable protective gap according to the situation of the emissions of foul smells or other pollutants. Renovation and extension projects should maintain a distance of no less than 300 metres from surrounding residential areas, schools, hospitals and other public facilities.

在排放标准方面，这类发电项目必须确保烟气中的二氧化硫等酸性气体及其他常规烟气污染物达到国家标准；对二恶英排放浓度则参照执行欧盟的标准。

For emissions standards, this kind of power generation project must ensure that sulfur dioxide and other acidic gases and other common pollutants in the smoke meet national standard. For dioxin emissions, however, they must implement EU standards.

环保部还要求，对于这些发电项目的环评，应增加公众参与的透明度，适当组织座谈会、交流会使公众与相关人员进行沟通交流。对于环境敏感、争议较大的项目，地方政府负责对公众的解释工作，必要时召开听证会。

The Ministry of Environmental Protection also requires that these power generation projects should increase the transparency of public consultations in their environmental assessment, organise appropriate conferences and consultation to communicate with the public and relevant people. For projects of greater environmental sensitivity or controversy, local governments are responsible for explaining to the public, and hold hearings when necessary.

Alright, so I thoroughly buggered up that translation, I’m sure. In my defence, being three quarters of the way through this weeks lessons and having a lot of other work stuff to deal with, I’m tired, and I seem to have been smacked hard in the nose with some allergy almost as bad as what I had to put up with in Changsha. Anyway:

Step forwards? Step backwards? Step sideways? I’m calling this a step forward. Using rubbish for fuel is clearly better than just dumping it, but you can’t put stinky, polluting powerplants in the middle of residential areas or near schools or hospitals. Obviously appropriate locations must be chosen for such projects.

That said, I still have no sympathy for those rich bastards who bought apartments in the new fancy housing developments around Gaoantun without bothering to check what was in the neighbourhood.