Chinese cities order steel output cuts earlier than expected to fend off smog
Steel mills in Hebei told to halve blast furnace production ahead of party congress in nearby Beijing
The city of Handan in the top steelmaking province of Hebei has ordered steel mills to halve output a month earlier than expected, according to media reports, the latest city to ramp up efforts to reduce the smog that blankets northern China during the winter.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Handan city authorities told local steel mills to cut blast furnace production by 50 per cent from October 1 until March, industry consultancy Mysteel reported without citing sources.
Companies in the downstream sector fabricating steel will also face restrictions, the report said, although no details were given.
The Handan city government did not respond to a request for comment.
The cuts are another sign of a major industrial city in the world’s top steel producer taking action well ahead of the official winter heating season in northern China, which starts on November 15. It is also likely to fuel concerns about demand for steelmaking raw materials, such as iron ore.
Tangshan, China’s biggest steelmaking city by output, on Monday enacted restrictions on pelletising and sintering production to clean up the air quality. The city, also located in Hebei, ended the restrictions late on Tuesday.