China Orders Metal Producer To Shut Illegal Alumina Capacity

BEIJING, May 27 -- China's Ministry of Environmental Protection said this week it has ordered the shutdown of unapproved alumina production capacity at a large privately-owned aluminum producer.

East Hope (Sanmenxia) Aluminum Co., a subsidiary of Shanghai-based East Hope Group, had added 400,000 metric tons of unapproved alumina capacity at a Henan province facility, raising its output capacity to 1.1 million tons.

The ministry also ordered the shutdown of another alumina production facility there, of unspecified size, along with a boiler and four power production units. Alumina is a raw material used to produce aluminum.

The government has repeatedly tried to enforce a moratorium on new base metal output capacity.

However, the ministry stopped short of imposing an outright fine, saying in a statement on its website that it "may" impose a CNY100,000 fine.