Pollution of decreased as 16% due to reduction of coal power generation

Pollution of decreased as 16%  due to reduction of coal power generation 

Last year, air pollutants emitted by some 600 large businesses nationwide decreased by 16% compared to the previous year. The government saw the effect as a result of the shutdown of aged coal-fired power plants and the strengthening of emission standards.

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 5th that a survey of 631 workplaces nationwide with automatic chimney measuring devices (TMS) showed that last year's air pollutant emissions dropped 15.9% (52,350 tons) year-on-year to 277,696 tons.

Compared with 2015, when air pollutant emissions exceeded 400,000 tons, it was down about 31.1 percent.The Ministry of Environment analyzed that last year's measures to reduce fine dust, such as strengthening standards for allowing air emissions and suspending the operation of old coal-fired power plants, closing early, and limiting the upper limit, resulted in positive results.

Nitrogen oxide emitted the most air pollutants with 194,795 tons (70 percent), followed by 74,200 tons (27 percent) of sulfur oxides, 5,767 tons (2 percent) of dust and 2,327 tons of carbon monoxide (1 percent). Emissions by industry were 112,218 tons (40 percent), 63,587 tons (23 percent) in cement manufacturing, 57,871 tons (21 percent) in steel steelmaking, and 26,933 tons (10 percent) in petrochemical products.

By region, it produced 58,775 tons (21 percent), the largest amount in South Chungcheong Province, where coal-fired power plants such as Dangjin, Taean, Boryeong and Seocheon thermal power plants and large steel steel facilities are concentrated, followed by Gangwon Province (49,368 tons, 18 percent), Jeollanam-do (41,155 tons, 14 percent), Gyeongsangnam-do (25,427 tons, 9 percent, 2678 tons, 2678 tons).

The Ministry of Environment will select the best performing companies among the large businesses that signed the agreement to voluntarily reduce fine dust and give them benefits such as reducing air emission levies and adjusting the frequency of self-measurement.

"The government and companies' diverse efforts to reduce fine dust are showing up as a reduction in pollutants," said Geum Han-seung, an atmospheric environment policy officer at the Ministry of Environment. "We will do our best to create a clean air environment that people feel."

Kookmin Ilbo: Reporter Choi Jae-pil