On September 2, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) issued a notice regarding the extension of the ongoing steel production cuts in China to March 15, 2022, aiming to combat environmental pollution during the winter heating season and in the lead-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.
The notice is still seeking feedback from steelmakers in the major steelmaking belt of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and nearby regions (mentioned as 26 + 2 cities), and requires these cities to curb or halt production during the two phases between November 15, 2021, and March 15, 2022.
The first phase is from November 15, 2021 to December 31, 2021, with the aim of completing the production cut task in the region. As reported previously, Tangshan, the main steelmaking hub in China’s Hebei Province, is required to reduce crude steel output by 12.37 million mt in 2021.
The second phase will extend from January 1, 2022, to March 15, 2022, and will aim to reduce the emissions of air pollutants, with an off-peak production decrease of no less than 30 percent.