Construction on most of the projects ordered to freeze by environmental authorities last week has since stopped, according to State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) officials Monday.

Last Tuesday, the administration announced that 30 large projects across the country had begun construction before their environmental impact assessment reports were approved by the administration, and should cease work.

Most of the projects, involving billions of US dollars and in 13 provinces and municipalities, are related to electricity-generation.

Pan Yue, vice minister of the administration, said in a statement that 22 of the projects have now ceased construction.

An administration source added that the 22 have paid fines of 200,000 yuan (US$24,000) each, the maximum stipulated by the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment.

The Taicang Port Power-generating Company, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, is one of those whose work has been frozen.

"Last Tuesday, we stopped construction immediately," Su, a company staffer, said by telephone yesterday, adding that they will wait for approval before resuming work.

According to Pan's statement, many provincial and municipal governments have attached great importance to last week's announcement.

But eight projects have shown no sign of following the administration's order, and no indication has yet been given as to how this will be dealt with.

Hu Tao, chief economist at SEPA's Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy, said the move should force companies to pay more attention to environmental management.

He also suggested that environmental concerns have become a new way, in addition to measures like interest rate adjustments, to cool the economy down when it is too hot, he said.

Late last week, 56 non-governmental environmental protection organizations issued a statement of support for the administration's endeavors.

(China Daily January 25, 2005)