Jiangsu to move steel mills to coast, push industrial concentration

SHANGHAI, May 7 (SMM) – China’s second-largest steelmaking province, Jiangsu, aims to adjust the ratio of steelmaking capacity along the coast to those along the river from the current 3:7 to 5:5 by 2025, according to the working plan about upgrading and optimising steel and iron industry across the province the local government released on its website on May 5.

By 2020, the province aims to cut the number of steel mills from the current 45 to 20, and see crude steel capacity across top 5 mills account for 70% of the total across the region.

Capacity utilisation rate across the sector is aimed to steady at 85-90%, while emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter are aimed to fall to 30%, 50% and 50%, respectively, by next year.

Those moves are part of the government’s efforts to push safe, environmentally-friendly and high-quality development of the industry.