To cut fine dust, the government will shut down up to 17 public coal-fired power plants from this month through March next year. The remaining plants, up to 46 units, will be limited to operating at 80% output.
On the 24th, the government announced the pan-governmental 7th seasonal fine dust management plan. The seasonal fine dust management plan is a system the government has implemented every winter to early spring since 2019 to reduce emissions of air pollutants.
During the seasonal management period, the government will strengthen measures to reduce fine dust emissions at 416 large business sites nationwide. It will temporarily assign more environmental monitors to local environment agencies to step up inspections, and use AI and big data to closely monitor business sites suspected of illegal emissions. It will also review energy-saving plans and results at public institutions and reflect them in management evaluations.
To expand the supply of electric and hydrogen vehicles, the government will newly provide support through an electric vehicle transition subsidy and purchase loans for electric and hydrogen buses. In the capital area and the six special and metropolitan cities, the operation of grade 5 emission vehicles will be restricted during the seasonal management period. It also plans to tighten checks on the sulfur content of marine fuel and expand slow steaming for ships at major ports.
The government will also work to improve air quality in people's living spaces. It will conduct on-site inspections of indoor air quality at vulnerable facilities such as daycare centers, nursing homes, and schools, and implement support measures to reduce illegal burning of waste in rural areas. Roads with heavy traffic near dwellings will be cleaned at least twice a day.
To verify that the seasonal management plan is being properly carried out on the ground, the government will form a pan-governmental implementation inspection team to conduct frequent checks. If high concentrations of fine dust occur, it plans to implement phased emergency measures under the Standard guideline for ultrafine dust disaster risk.