China plans EIA focusing on CO2 emissions from key industries 
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on July 27 announced a pilot program in which designated pilot districts will perform environmental impact assessments (EIAs) focusing on carbon emissions from construction projects in key industries. The ministry said it aims to integrate the assessment and management systems for pollutants and carbon emissions through the pilot program, which is outlined below.
Schedule
- By December 2021, the pilot districts release relevant documents on carbon emissions EIA for construction projects and establish a basic assessment framework.
- By June 2022, carbon emissions and other relevant measurements in key industries are determined and consideration is given to developing assessment technology and methods to jointly control pollutants and carbon emissions in construction projects.
Pilot districts and target industries
| Pilot district | Target industry/industries |
| Hebei Province | Steel |
| Jilin Province | Electric power and chemical |
| Zhejiang Province | Electric power, steel, construction materials, non-ferrous metals, petrochemical and chemical |
| Shandong Province | Steel and chemical |
| Guangdong Province | Petrochemical |
| Chongqing | Electric power, steel, construction materials, non-ferrous metals, petrochemical and chemical |
| Shaanxi Province | Coal chemical |
Target projects
In principle, a construction project is covered by the pilot program if an environmental impact assessment report is required for the project under the List of Construction Project Environmental Impact Assessment Categories for Management (建设项目环境影响评价分类管理名录).
Target substances
CO2 is mainly assessed. Greenhouse gases, such as methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), are also assessed if the pilot district meets certain criteria.
The ministry’s circular announcing the pilot program includes as an attachment a technical guide that defines a specific procedure and other things for EIA.
The full text of the ministry’s circular (in simplified Chinese) is available at
https://www.mee.gov.cn/xxgk2018/xxgk/xxgk06/202107/t20210727_851553.html.
