Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network

Introduction：

The MOENV established a hierarchical air quality monitoring system to comprehensively integrate air quality monitoring stations of different authorities to strengthen data sharing and information services. The objectives of air quality monitoring include to understand sources of air pollution, and characteristics and root causes of pollutants and how they are spread, so to serve as the reference for air pollution prevention measures. At the same time, we can understand how much air pollution our people is exposed to and provide early warning. Starting from resource integration, the MOENV has increased the number of monitoring stations exponentially and attached great importance on people's right to know. It has uncovered air quality monitoring data of different authorities, and completed the convergence and integration of real-time monitoring data sent back from air monitoring stations of environmental protection departments, special industrial parks and large-scale enterprises and utilities.

Local monitoring authorities：

Currently, monitoring stations that have been providing data for integration belong to environmental protection departments, special industrial parks or large-scale enterprises or utilities. At the local government level, to grasp the trend of air quality changes within the jurisdiction of each local government, a total of 30 automatic monitoring stations have been established by environmental protection departments of Taipei, New Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, Taichung and Tainan.

For special industrial parks, a standard governing the establishment of air quality monitoring facilities and buffer zones in special industrial parks was amended and promulgated by the MOENV on September 20, 2012, hence defining the establishment of air quality monitoring stations, the items to be monitored and the monitoring frequency, so to effectively and comprehensively monitor air pollutants emission in special industrial parks. There are now 35 air quality monitoring stations operating in special industrial parks.

Large-scale enterprises or utilities, such as Taiwan Power Company (Taipower), China Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and China Steel Corporation (CSC), are now running a total of 70 monitoring stations. Taipower owns a total of 52 air quality monitoring stations, locating mostly around its Shenao Power Plant, Hsieh-Ho Power Plant, Linkou Thermal Power Plant, Datan Power Plant, Tung Hsiao Power Plant, Taichung Power Plant, Hsinta Power Plant, Talin Power Plant and Nanpu Power Plant. CPC established a total of 14 monitoring stations at some of its branch plants, including Taoyuan Refinery Plant, Linyuan CPC Petrochemical Factory, Dalin Refinery Plant and Kaohsiung Refinery Plant. CSC has 6 air quality monitoring stations, established by the Environment Monitoring Center.