China’s top steel producing region Hebei province has surpassed its cutting targets for this year in steel, coal, cement and glass, under efforts to cut air pollution and overcapacity, state media service Xinhua reported on Friday.

Hebei, which lies close to Beijing, has cut 25.55 million tonnes of steelmaking capacity and 20.66 million tonnes of ironmaking capacity so far this year, Xinhua reported, citing a local government meeting.

The local government has also cut coal capacity by 10.5 million tonnes and coke capacity by 8.08 million tonnes, during the same period, state media reported.

China’s air pollution is typically most severe in winter as domestic heating systems churn out pollutants. Controlling the problem has become a political priority and Hebei said it would hold officials accountable if the region failed to meet targets.

To further curb pollution during winter, Hebei would also limit steel and iron output by 50 percent in major producing cities including Tangshan, Handan and Shijiazhuang, Xinhua said.

Concentrations of hazardous pollutants, known as PM2.5, in Hebei province, were down 38.5 percent in the first 10 months of 2017 compared with the same period in 2013, Xinhua reported.

 

Source:reuters.com

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