International Steel Mills
Environmental Concerns Continue to Drive Shutdowns of China Steel Mills
Written by Sandy Williams
October 17, 2016
China’s Hebei province is cracking down on steel operations in the region by imposing “special emission restrictions.”
Mills in the province have until September 1, 2017 to comply with new air pollution standards for pollution. Failure to do so could result in fines, mandated reduction in output, or total closure.
In a notice issued on October 13, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said fines against all polluting companies were up 11 percent in the first 8 months of the year exceeding $72.6 million. Production facilities were sealed at 4,456 companies during the period and 1,880 companies had operations suspended due to “excessive pollution and illegal discharging.” The Environmental Protection Law places no upper limits on fines and, in extreme cases, violators responsible for pollution can be detained.
Despite efforts to curb steelmaking capacity and shut down inefficient mills, steel production in the province rose 1.3 percent to 188.3 million tonnes last year. Hebei has pledged to reduce crude steel capacity by 60 million tonnes and coal production capacity by 40 million tonnes between 2014 and 2017.
Although some mills have been shut down, a recent tour by the Ministry of Environmental Protection revealed illegal production expansion in the area. Reuters reports that the provincial government has “uncovered 1,173 illegal projects in the steel sector, involving 93 companies.”
Hebei is known for its critical smog levels as China’s biggest steel producing area. According to the Ministry, six of the 10 most polluted cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the first three quarters of 2016 were in the Hebei province.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in International Steel Mills
CRU: Bids made for Ilva assets
The Italian government has received 10 offers for the former Ilva integrated steel works at Taranto, but only two bidders are interested in purchasing all of the company’s assets.
Global steel production declined through August
August marked the second-lowest monthly production rate this year, down 13% from the two-year high of 166.6 million mt in March.
Algoma Steel assesses viability of US sales in wake of 50% S232 tariffs
Canadian flat-rolled steelmaker Algoma Steel is reconsidering its presence in the US market after the doubling of US Section 232 tariffs on imported steel to 50%, a company spokeswoman said.
Nippon plans to double steel output at USS operations: Report
Now that it has acquired U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel is planning a significant expansion of its US operations, including the construction of a new mill and more than doubling its steel output.
Global steel mill output steady through May
Global raw steel production rose 2% from April to May, slightly above average production levels seen in recent months, according to data recently released by the World Steel Association (worldsteel).