Increasing discharges of nitric acid and sulfur dioxide are worsening China's acid rain, experts say.

"The amazing growth of nitrates, resulting from a swift rise in automobiles and coal consumption plus overuse of fertilizers, is playing an increasing role in acid rain pollution," said Tang Dagang, director of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.

The conclusion was drawn from a five-year Sino-Norwegian program to monitor acidification in southwestern China.

In response, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), the environmental supervisory body, said Monday that it is laying out a medium-to-long-term program on acid rain control.

Tang said the plan should give full consideration to sulfuric, nitric and calcic emissions and disposal.

"If no effective control is set up on nitric acid, it will result in both acid rain and nitrification of waters," he explained.

There have been no special regulations up to now to help control nitric acid, said Liu Bingjiang, a senior official with SEPA.

The plan will also set quotas for the emission of sulfur dioxide by thermal power plants.

Central and eastern China have experienced severe acid rain in the last decade.

Last year, the country discharged more than 21 million tons of sulfur dioxide, up 12 percent from the previous year, while 265 domestic cities reported acid rain.

Despite the efforts of various authorities, there has been no obvious improvement, said Wang Jian, an official with SEPA.

"Regional acid rain is still out of control, and even worse in some southern cities," said Wang.

Acid rain costs the country around 110 billion yuan (US$13.3 billion) each year, two or three percent of gross domestic product.

China's annual sulfur dioxide emissions, of which thermal power emissions make up 34.6 percent, exceed maximum environmental capacity by 80 percent.

The surging demand for coal and excessive number of small-scale thermal power plants are the two main reasons for the rapid growth in sulfur dioxide discharge.

"It is estimated that the country will consume more than 1.8 billion tons of coal in 2005, emitting an additional 6 million tons of sulfur dioxide," said Wang.

On average, about 1.3 percent of Chinese coal is sulfur. In the southwestern province of Guizhou, the percentage is even as high as 2.5 percent, said Tang.

To curb the problem, the state began to impose new regulations last year.

All thermal power plants were encouraged to install desulfurization facilities, regardless of their age, and new plants with desulfurization facilities were able to set higher grid prices.

There have also been higher fines for excessive discharge of sulfur dioxide. Last year, the charge rose from 210 yuan (US$25) to 420 yuan (US$50) per ton, and will increase to 630 yuan (US$75) per ton next year.

"However, the old thermal power plants remain a big headache," said Liu.

Currently, few of them have desulfurization facilities because "to install an efficient desulfurization facility may cost one third of the investment in a thermal power plant. Plus there is no policy on raising the grid price so far."

In Guizhou, only two of the nine old coal-burning power plants have such facilities. Experts suggest the central government should earmark more money for renovating old plants.

(China Daily November 30, 2004)