The Ministry of Ecology and Environment will expand its pilot program for carbon monitoring in the coal-fired power generation sector as it accelerates the construction of a carbon-monitoring network.

The country started piloting carbon monitoring in key industries, cities and regions in September. "So far, there has generally been smooth progress," Jiang Huohua, deputy director-general of monitoring at the ministry, said at a news conference on Thursday.

To date, 119 monitoring sites have been set up in 49 firms from 11 company groups in five industrial sectors, including coal-fired power and steel, he said. Three to five months of data have been obtained in most of the sites.

He said 11 of the 16 cities involved in the pilot program have completed the project justification procedure for their individual monitoring projects. Monitoring devices have been installed, and some of them have gone into operation.

"By taking the action plan for the pilot program as reference, some provincial regions have also taken proactive steps to monitor carbon emissions," Jiang said.

The technical norms for carbon monitoring have been gradually improved, he added. A series of technical documents that can help promote data validity, consistency and comparability have been hammered out, including one on the distribution of monitoring sites.

To some extent, the program has proved the role of carbon monitoring in helping calculate carbon emissions, he said.

The ministry will expand the pilot program by carrying out online carbon dioxide monitoring in more coal-fired power plants before the end of this year, he said.

Jiang also pledged to speed up the construction of a carbon-monitoring network that covers major regions and key cities with the help of an atmospheric environment monitoring satellite, which was sent into space on April 16.

The satellite is reportedly the world's first to use laser radar to detect carbon dioxide.