The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said Tuesday that it will impose pollutant emission caps on six industries and coal-fired furnace projects in 47 major cities.

The six industries include the coal-fired power generation, iron and steel, cement, non-ferrous metal, petrochemical and chemical industries.

The 47 cities are spread across 19 provinces, mainly in developed city clusters like the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta.

According to the MEP's plan, the emission limits will be adopted in the cities' major urban areas by the end of 2015 and across cities' entire area by the end of 2020.

The MEP has ordered local environmental authorities to make sure all newly-launched projects conform to the pollutant emission caps.

Existing coal-fired power plants and steel mills that exceed the caps will be ordered to restructure, the MEP said, adding that those that still fall short of the standards after restructuring will face production limits or closures.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2013)