More efforts, more benefits: Air pollutant control of coal-fired power plants in China

• We calculate costs and benefits of two air pollution control strategies.
• Intake fraction method is used to estimate health benefits.
• Multi-pollutant control strategy brings more net benefits than gradual control one.
• Power plants adopting all-in-one facilities have higher economic efficiency.
• Government need consider synergy and set long-term multi-pollutant control targets.

Although China has implemented many air pollution control policies, its air pollution problems remain severe with rapid economic development. The strategy of controlling single pollutant in one period and adding another in the next period (i.e., gradual control strategy) adopted in China has achieved some success in reducing sulfur dioxide (SO2). However, this strategy is not effective for addressing compound air pollution issues, which require control of several pollutants simultaneously (i.e., multi-pollutant control strategy). The present study employs a cost-benefit analysis to compare net benefits of a multi-pollutant control strategy and current gradual control strategy of coal-fired power plants in China. The results show that a multi-pollutant control strategy yields more net benefits relative to the current gradual control strategy. The average health benefits of a multi-pollutant control strategy are somewhat higher than that of the gradual control strategy, while the average control costs are also higher than gradual control strategy. The results imply that China should switch from its gradual control strategy to a multi-pollutant control strategy to reduce adverse health effects and increase economic efficiency. Raising electricity prices to offset increased control costs is a potential means of balancing benefits between power plants and electricity users.