Tangshan to implement stricter production curbs

Published: Oct 18, 2019 10:35

Save

Steelmakers are required to shut all but one blast furnace

SHANGHAI, Oct 18 (SMM) – China’s top steelmaking hub of Tangshan in Hebei province has implemented stricter production curbs from October 18-22, after the city activated Level 2 anti-smog measures earlier this week.

Tangshan's move to combat heavy air pollution was in line with Handan, another steelmaking hub in Hebei and Taiyuan in Shanxi province. China’s northern regions were hit by a sustained period of heavy smog in late September.

Steelmakers in districts of Kaiping, Guye, Fengnan and Fengrun are required to shut all but one blast furnace, or cut blast furnace capacity by at least 50% if they have only one furnace.

The city has also imposed stricter restrictions on sintering and pelletising machines and coke plants as well as road transport. Trucks carrying cargoes are banned from entering or leaving ports.

Under level 2 anti-smog measures, steelmakers in Tangshan that are categorised as B and C are ordered to close all their sintering and pelletising machines and lime kilns, while grade C steel mills face an additional cut of at least 50% on blast furnaces.

They are allowed to recover half of their sintering and pelletising capacity after the level 2 anti-smog measures have been implemented for more than 120 hours.

There is no official confirmation when the anti-smog measures will be lifted.

Tangshan Air pollution

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

Sep 4, 2026 18:12

[SMM Precious Metals Express]

Northam Platinum is advancing large-scale renewable energy and energy storage deployment, with a plan to turn its Eland mine into South Africa’s first PGM mine operated entirely on renewable energy. Chief Executive Officer Paul Dunne stated at the annual results briefing on August 28 that Eland not only has the conditions to switch to fully green power, but has also achieved a positive water balance. The company plans to phase out external water sources by the end of this decade, moving the mine toward a truly low-carbon, low-water-dependence "green mine" model.

Sep 4, 2026 18:12

Sep 4, 2026 18:05

[SMM Precious Metals Express]

In its latest annual results briefing, Northam Platinum unusually identified artificial intelligence, data storage, electronics and robotics as key new sources of future platinum-group metals (PGM) demand, sending a notable signal to the PGM market. Chief Executive Officer Paul Dunne said the company remains bullish on platinum, rhodium, iridium and ruthenium, citing declining supply from South African mines and still-supportive autocatalyst demand, alongside growing new applications in AI and high-tech industries. He noted that the PGM market remains in supply deficit, while industrial demand stays robust driven by emerging applications.

Sep 4, 2026 18:05

Sep 4, 2026 17:58

[SMM Precious Metals Express]

A research team at Utkal University in India has published a review on organoiridium(III) anticancer complexes, focusing on how Schiff base and oxime ligands affect the biological activity, cytotoxicity and mechanisms of action of Ir(III) complexes. Platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin have demonstrated that platinum-group metals (PGMs) can be developed into large-scale clinical therapeutics. However, nephrotoxicity, drug resistance and non-selective damage to healthy cells are driving metal-drug research to extend toward other PGMs including ruthenium (Ru), iridium (Ir) and osmium (Os).

Sep 4, 2026 17:58