Leong Heng Teng, spokesman for the government’s top advisory body, made the announcement during a press conference at Gov- ernment Headquarters yesterday.
Government-drafted by-laws, officially known as administra- tive regulations, do not require the legislature’s approval.
Currently, there are no official standards regulating the pollut- ant emissions of the city’s power plants and oil depots. In Macau, power utility CEM is running two power stations in Ka Ho in Coloane. Macau’s sole oil depot is also located in Ka Ho run by Nam Kwong Petroleum & Chem- ical Company Limited – a subsid- iary fully owned by Nam Kwong (Group) Company Limited, a state-owned enterprise (SOE).
According to Leong, the drafting of the two emission stan- dards aims to regulate pollutant emissions from stationary sourc- es of air pollution, which include power plants and oil depots.
According to a public con- sultation document on the draft- ing of the emission standards for stationary sources of air pollution published in 2014, while there is currently no by-law on the emis- sion standard for power plants, an agreement between the govern- ment and CEM concerning the operation of a power station in Ka Ho signed in 2000 stipulates the required maximum emissions of a number of pollutants such as
sulphur dioxide and nitrogen ox- ides from the power station.
Addressing yesterday’s press conference, Environmental Pro- tection Bureau (DSPA) Deputy Director Ip Kuong Lam noted that the government has drafted the two emission standards for power plants and oil depots with reference to the standards on the mainland and in Hong Kong.
According to Ip, the emission standard for power plants in the new by-law is much stricter than the current required standard stip- ulated in the agreement between the government and CEM for the Ka Ho power station, particu- larly for sulphur dioxide – from the current of 1,700 mg per cubic metre to the new of 290 mg per cubic metre. Ip also said that the implementation of the new emis- sion standard for power plants would reduce the emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates by 24 to 64 per- cent.
According to Leong, the op- erator violating the new emission standard will be fined between 200,000 and 400,000 patacas, while the owner of an oil depot violating the new emission stan- dard will face a fine of between 200,000 and 300,000 patacas.
According to Leong, each power station will have to submit a report assessing the pollutants drafted by a laboratory to the bu- reau every six months, while each oil depot will have to do so every 12 months.
Currently, Macau has emis- sion standards implemented for a number of industries, such as for wastewater treatment plants and cement plants.
Executive Council spokesman Leong Heng Teng (left) and Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) Deputy Director Ip Kuong Lam smile during yesterday’s press conference at Government Headquarters about the government’s two by-laws on the emission standards for power plants and oil depots. Courtesy: TDM
