China environment minister urges crackdown on steel mills' illegal production

China Environment

12/03/2021 02:00

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, March 12 (Reuters) - China's Ministry of
Ecology and Environment (MEE) urged top steelmaking city
Tangshan to severely crack down on violations of atmospheric
environment rules after it found four steel mills failed to
implement production curbs during heavy pollution. 
    Tangshan government had issued a second-level pollution
alert on March 8, urging heavy industrial companies such as
steelmakers and coking plants to cut production accordingly. 
    However, an inspection team led by Huang Runqiu, the
minister of MEE, had found on Thursday that a stainless steel
producer belonging to HBIS Group, plus Tangshan Jinma Steel
Group and two other mills, were producing at high rates during
the pollution alert and had falsified production records. 
    "We must deal with it in according with law with a
zero-tolerance attitude," the MEE cited Huang in a statement
published on late Thursday, adding that suspected crimes will be
transferred to the public security department. 
    China has pledged to cut its crude steel output in 2021 from
a record 1.06 billion tonnes it churned out last year to reduce
carbon emissions. The steel sector accounts for 15% of China’s
total emissions, topping all other manufacturing categories.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2J91RT
    "Steel companies are the main body responsible for air
pollution...(they) should not just focus on performance and
leave pollution to local people," said Huang. 
    The minister also asked local government to eliminate
outdated capacity and said the MEE will guide companies to
improve their pollution control levels. 
    The most-traded iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity
Exchange  DCIOcv1  has slumped over 5% so far this week on
concerns of tighter production controls.    

 (Reporting by Josh Horwitz in Shanghai and Min Zhang in
Beijing; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
 ((Josh.Horwitz@thomsonreuters.com; +86 21 20830007;))