China consults on LDAR amendment covering valve records and emission accounting

China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a proposed amendment to HJ 1230—2021 on November 3, 2026. The underlying notice is dated October 30 and invites comments by December 4. It concerns industrial VOC leak detection and repair, or LDAR, and remains a consultation draft.

The proposal explicitly addresses seal points on standby organic exhaust lines and tank-roof breathing and emergency relief valves. It would also require records to be updated before the next periodic inspection where shutdowns, maintenance or modifications alter the seal-point inventory.

A proposed accounting chapter separates accessible points with and without leaks from inaccessible points. Correlation-based calculations would depend on compliant inspection intervals, reports and data, using periodic readings or compliant retest results after substantive repairs. Otherwise, the draft calls for average emission factors when calculating annual emissions.

Annual reports would include emission quantities, supported by inspection records, repair documentation, deferred-repair lists and change records. The draft includes accounting tables for valves, pumps, compressors and pressure-relief equipment. These factors describe emission-accounting methods and should not be substituted for a product’s leakage acceptance criteria.