Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on PM2.5 Targets by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Industry-Specific Targets for PM2.5 Pollution by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Mr Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry has industry-specific targets for PM2.5 pollution; and (b) whether there is any data showing our progress on such targets over the last five years.

Answer:

1 The National Environment Agency (NEA) sets standards on air pollutant emissions, including particulate matter (PM) that covers PM2.5, which all industrial plants must meet. Major emitters are required to install stack emission monitoring systems to provide NEA with real-time monitoring of pollutant emissions.

2 The regulatory emission standards apply to all industries, and there is no industry-specific target. NEA regularly reviews the industrial emission standards and benchmarks them against international standards to ensure that our standards remain relevant.

3 The industrial emission standards were last tightened in 2015. New plants have been subject to the tightened emission standard for particulate matter since 1 July 2015, while existing plants have until 1 July 2023 to comply.