In China, 43 steel projects have been restricted or forbidden from investment. According to a notice issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the following 43 steel projects are prohibited or restricted from being pursued by investors.
The 43 steel projects include those of cold rolling, hot rolling, galvanizing, and colour coating of strip or plate. Additionally, projects involving the production of hot rolls from already alloyed or pre-alloyed bars and wires, rod rolling and the production of thin axles and thin wire are also not allowed to pursue.
The reason for this prohibition and restriction of steel projects is that many of the existing steel manufacturing and production processes can cause severe environmental pollution. The commission is issuing the guideline to protect the environment and to protect resources for future generations.
The restriction also applies to other steel-producing activities such as those related to steel slag production andthe environmentally damaging burning of coke. The commission has also set a limit on the concentrationof the steel project sites that would be considered green. That is, steel project sites must not exceed their total environmental load to prevent environmental pollution.
Additionally, the commission has issued a guideline to assist in the control of overcapacity in the steel sector. The guideline has set a ceiling on the steel industry’s capacity setting it at 1.2 billion tonnes. This is to ensure that there is some order in thesteel sector, while also preventing further overcapacity in the steel sector.
The guideline also calls for improvements in energy efficiency and the cost of production in the steel sector. For existing steel plants, there is an emphasis on technological upgrading to save energy and reduce the cost of production. Steel plants that cannot meet the required standards are advised to stop producing, reduce the total capacity of their operational lines and eventually shut down.
The commission has also introduced financial support for Chinese steelmakers in order to stimulate technological advancement, research and development and innovation in the steel sector. This includes grants and subsidies to be used for the development of cleaner steel production and energy saving as well as the use of green steel products, so as to reduce environmental damage caused by the production of steel.
The commission also requested the local governments to promote and utilize green steel products and technologies, standardize the production and reduce the total amount of steel production. The commission has issued a document with a detailed list of the 43 steel projects that have been prohibited or restricted from investment and it is expected that the implementation of the guideline will protect the environment, reduce resources and prevent pollution caused by steel.