The three departments jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Synergy of Sewage Treatment, Pollution Reduction and Carbon Reduction"

On December 29, the official website of the National Development and Reform Commission issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Synergy of Sewage Treatment and Carbon Reduction" (hereinafter referred to as the "Implementation Opinions"). The "Implementation Opinions" were jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, which made systematic arrangements for the key tasks of promoting the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction in sewage treatment, put forward key tasks such as strengthening water conservation and efficiency at the source, strengthening energy conservation and carbon reduction in sewage treatment, and promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction in sludge treatment, and clarified the supporting policies and safeguard measures.

The "Implementation Opinions" pointed out that sewage treatment is not only an important starting point for in-depth pollution prevention and control, but also an important area to promote greenhouse gas emission reduction. It is necessary to work together to promote the reduction of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions in the whole process of sewage treatment, carry out water conservation and efficiency improvement at the source, energy conservation and carbon reduction in the treatment process, and resource utilization of sewage sludge, comprehensively improve the comprehensive efficiency of sewage treatment, improve the level of environmental infrastructure construction, promote the improvement of urban and rural living environments, help achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, and accelerate the construction of a beautiful China. By 2025, the wastewater treatment industry will make positive progress in the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, and the energy efficiency level and carbon reduction capacity will continue to improve. The utilization rate of reclaimed water in water-scarce cities at and above the prefecture level has reached more than 25%, and 100 green and low-carbon benchmark plants for sewage treatment with efficient recycling of energy resources have been built.

In order to ensure the realization of the task objectives, the "Implementation Opinions" deployed three key tasks, covering the whole process of sewage collection and treatment: First, strengthen water conservation and efficiency improvement at the source. Strengthen water conservation and emission reduction at the source, speed up the completion of sewage collection shortcomings, optimize the layout of sewage collection and treatment facilities, and reduce the distance of sewage transportation. The second is to strengthen sewage treatment, energy conservation and carbon reduction. Implement energy-saving transformation, strengthen digital empowerment, optimize load matching, strengthen greenhouse gas emission control, increase the application of renewable energy, and promote the use of reclaimed water. The third is to promote sludge treatment to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Promote low-carbon sludge treatment technology, strengthen sludge biogas recycling, and promote sludge resource utilization.

The "Implementation Opinions" also put forward four supporting policies: First, strengthen standard guidance. Formulate local standards for sewage discharge in a scientific and reasonable manner and in accordance with local conditions, do a good job in the formulation and revision of a series of standards for reclaimed water utilization, study and formulate relevant standards for statistical accounting, monitoring and measurement of carbon emissions in urban sewage treatment, and accelerate the formulation of national standards for "Collaborative Carbon Reduction Performance Evaluation and Urban Sewage Treatment". The second is to increase scientific and technological support. Carry out research on key green and low-carbon technologies for sewage treatment, promote the integrated development of digital technology and sewage treatment technology, and strengthen the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, technology integration demonstration and application promotion. The third is to improve incentive policies. Increase financial support for sewage treatment, pollution reduction, carbon reduction and upgrading projects, improve the sewage treatment charging mechanism, and implement relevant preferential tax policies and policies related to green power certificates. The fourth is to build a green and low-carbon benchmark factory. Promote the construction of a number of green and low-carbon benchmark plants for sewage treatment with efficient recycling of energy resources, summarize and promote the experience of benchmarking plant construction, and guide the whole industry to benchmark against the table.