The State Council made a decision on June 28 to cut redundant lightning protection engineering approval licenses in construction projects.

According to the circular, the design review and completed inspection of the lightning protection system of housing construction projects and municipal infrastructure projects, which are undertaken by meteorological departments, will be integrated into the working plan of construction projects, and overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

The move is aimed at optimizing the approval process, save time, and raise efficiency.

The State Council also decided to revoke meteorological departments’ licensing rights for lightening protection engineering design and construction units, and lower the entry threshold to fully open the market for testing of lightening protection devices.

According to the decision, the meteorological departments should strengthen organization and management over lightning disaster prevention. The China Meteorological Administration and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development are urged to build a management mechanism for engineering lightening protection in conjunction with related departments.