Vice director of the Supervision Department of Shandong Province, Sun Jiye, stated on March 10 that, according to the ‘Adjustment and Revitalization Planning for the Iron and Steel Industry' issued by China's State Council, Shandong Province is required to merge and eliminate out-of-date capacity in its steel industry and to promote the construction of the Rizhao steel base. He added that so far Shandong Province has made substantial progress in the structural adjustment and updating of its steel industry.
According to Mr. Sun, Shandong Province is aiming to keep its iron-making and steelmaking capacities under 50 million mt by 2015. As regards Rizhoa steel base, he said that its establishment would help cut transportation costs by over RMB 200/mt.