SHANGHAI, Jul 31 (SMM) – Independent steel rolling mills in Tangshan said they will recover production in August as the city allowed 15 days of continuous production for local rolling mills and foundry enterprises in a draft plan for smog control in August, an SMM survey found on Wednesday July 31. 

Steel rolling mills in each district of Tangshan will be categorised into two groups, which will carry out staggered production during August. 

SMM learned that rolling mills in Kaiping district planned to reopen in two batches, in the first and second half of the month, respectively. Rolling plants in Fengrun district said they will resume during August 1-15. 

Those rolling mills were ordered to halve production amid strict production curbs since May. 

As Tangshan is mulling overall looser restrictions on steelmakers, blast furnaces at 16 steel mills are likely to be exempt from production curbs in August.