On the recommendation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration was invited by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines to attend the Webinar on Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS), held on September 10, 2020, to give a presentation on the regulatory system and auditing practices of CEMS in Taiwan.

    The webinar was opened by OIC Director Engr. Cunado of the Environmental Management Bureau of the DENR. The U.S. EPA experts then continued with a presentation on its CEMS program for various air pollutants, data quality, monitoring reports, and audit methods.  The case of Mystic Station, an oil-fired, steam-electric power plant in Massachusetts, was cited as an example to share the application of CEMS in the plant’s regulatory compliance and improvement oversight, as well as pollution reporting, remediation and civil referrals. The U.S. EPA also reported on the technology and equipment used in detecting VOC leaks. Utilizing the Thermo TVA 2000 that is equipped with FID and PID, and in accordance with LDAR and ECMS, it is then possible to detect VOC, efficiently reducing the density of gas leak in the area, while acquiring hourly monitor data, making it more flexible to observe and control.

    Taiwan then proceed to share CEMS-related regulations in Taiwan. As the Taiwan EPA has had abundant experience in operating the system when it comes to targeting and practicing, with the help of all-around structure and data assistance, the Taiwan EPA provided the Philippines with clear instructions. Judging from their reactions during the Q&A session, the Filipino participants showed great interest in Taiwan’s system and expressed desire to continue exchanges with Taiwan in the future.

    The DENR presented a Certificate of Appreciation for each presenter, hoping to further deepen the exchange between Taiwan, the United States and the Philippines in the area of air pollutant monitoring.