Local environmental officials said that 144 gas stations and
nine oil depots in the capital region would be closed by the end of
May because of cost or safety issues connected with air quality
regulations.
There are 1,442 gas stations in Beijing, so the closure will
affect nearly 10 percent of the total.
All oil depots and gas stations in Beijing have until the end of
May to comply with vapor recovery rules, which are intended to
guarantee air quality during the Olympics, a conference co-chaired
by the environment, quality supervision and transportation bureaus
was told on Thursday.
Vapor recovery is used during the refueling of gasoline storage
tanks to reduce hydrocarbon emissions. A specially designed nozzle
is used at the gas pumps to collect vapors from the vehicle's gas
tank and return these collected vapors to the service station's
underground storage tank.
The facilities set for closure mainly belong to two giant oil
firms, China National Petroleum Corporation and China Petroleum and
Chemical Corporation. Installing the equipment at some facilities
might pose safety risks, while at others, especially in remote
areas, cost-effectiveness was a factor, according to Feng Yuqiao,
of the local environment bureau.
Equipping one facility costs 500,000 to 600,000 yuan (US$69,600
to 83,600).
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2008)