Steel News Roundup （Sep 6）

SHANGHAI, Sep 6 (SMM) - This is a roundup of news in the steel industry for last week.

President Xi Jinping presided over the 21st meeting of the central committee for deepening overall reform: To enhance commodity reserves and market regulation capacities

The meeting emphasised that it is necessary to closely monitor key areas and key sections of pollution prevention and control by maintaining strength, depth and breadth. It shall concentrate their efforts to tackle outstanding ecological and environmental problems in the communities, including the coordinated regional governance and treatment of multiple pollutants like solid waste and new pollutants to facilitate the pollution prevention and management of water and soil. Besides, it strives to achieve new breakthroughs in key areas and important indicator in terms of pollution prevention and management. More importantly, it is key to accelerate the establishment of an institutional mechanism for integrated planning, deployment, implementation, and  assessment of pollution reduction and carbon reduction. While it is necessary to pay attention to the implementation of measures in accordance with local conditions to reflect differentiation and avoid sloth administration.

Dual control of energy consumption intensified in Guangxi, imposing production restrictions to local steel mills

Due to the intensified dual control of energy consumption, Guangxi has imposed production restrictions on local steel ills. Among them, Liugang, Guangxi Shenglong, and Guangxi Guigang will undertake the task of reducing crude steel output in 2021. They will further cut output by 20% on the basis of the production schedule in September. In addition, the steel output and electricity consumption of Yongda, Deyuan, Guifeng Precious Metals, Southwest Special Steel, Guiping Iron and Steel in September must not exceed 70% of the average monthly output and consumption in the first half of 2021, respectively.

Coking activities in Shandong basically stopped as coal utilisation has exceeded quota

According to SMM survey, the environmental protection inspection team entered Shandong on August 26. The focus of this inspection is on the coking plants. The inspection team has carried out inspections in Binzhou, Dezhou, Weifang, Heze, Jining and other regions. Local coking plants mostly received stricter production restrictions to a degree of over 50% cut in output. More importantly, many coking plants have completely suspended production activities as their coal utilisation has exceeded approved quota.

A transportation accident occurred in Wangjialing Coal Mine on September 2nd, relevant mining tenement suspended operation for rectification

On September 2nd, a car accident occurred in Wangjialing Mine that caused one casualty during the driving of a rubber-tired vehicle. Instructions were quickly announced as follows:

1. Wangjialing Mine shall immediately suspend production for rectification and carry out safety assessment.

2. All mines and factories shall immediately carry out a comprehensive investigation of potential safety hazards based on their own actual conditions, with focus on transportation personnel, equipment, and the surroundings. They shall come up with effective measures within a time limit for hidden dangers detected.

3. During the rectification period of the Wangjialing Mine, it is necessary to carry out safety training and education for employees, and strengthen the safety awareness of leaders and employees. It is understood that the Wangjialing coal mine project was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission and the executive meeting of the State Council. It is located in Ning County, Shanxi. The area of tenement is about 119.71 square kilometres, and the reserves are estimated at 1.086 billion mt. The proved developed reserves stand at 688 million mt. The mine mainly produces high-quality lean coal with medium ash, low sulphur and extra low phosphorus, which is an excellent coking coal blending.

The third central ecological and environmental protection inspection team arrived in Hubei

The third central ecological and environmental protection inspection team recently arrived in Hubei Province to carry out ecological and environmental protection inspections. The kick-off meeting for inspectors was held in Wuhan on August 31. Xu Jingye, the leader of the inspection team, emphasised that the focus will be on the implementation of the important instructions from the central committee on ecological and environmental protection. The team will also look into the promotion of high-quality development in the province, especially carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Other issues to be reviewed include strict control on the approval of projects with high energy consumption and pollution, implementation of capacity reduction policies, execution of national key strategies, and prevention and punishment of cases that cause significant environmental damages, pollutions and risks.

List prices in 6 of the 10 cities that implemented the second-hand housing reference price system fell in August

Recently, 58.com and Anjuke jointly released the August National Housing Index Report in 2021. In August 2021, the average prices of new houses offered online in 65 cities under monitoring was 17,362 yuan/㎡, a decrease of 0.32% from the previous month. Among them, 27 cities showed increased price offerings. The average list prices of second-hand houses offered online was 17,020 yuan/m2, a decrease of 0.03% from the previous month. Up to now, 10 cities have implemented a second-hand house reference price system, and the list prices in 6 cities have shown a downward trend from the previous month.

Premier Li Keqiang: To strictly control the  capacity of high-energy-consuming and high-emission industries and vigorously develop energy-saving and environmental protection industries

Li Keqiang attended the opening ceremony of the 2021 Taiyuan Energy Low-Carbon Development Forum and delivered a keynote speech. Li said that as the world’s largest developing country, China will achieve low-carbon and green development in the process of realising socialist modernization and allowing the Chinese people to live a happy life in the middle of this century. There is no precedent in human history, and only hard work could lead the country to the destination. The government will persist in implementing new strategies for energy security; advance revolutions in energy consumption, supply, technology, and institutional; strengthen international cooperation in an all-round way; and earnestly advance energy transition. While working toward the cross-cycle adjustment of macroeconomic policies, it will accelerate the optimisation and upgrading of the industrial structure. On the hand, the government will strictly control the capacity of high-energy-consuming and high-emission industries. While on the other hand, it will inject new forces to world economy recovery by rigorously development environmental-friendly industries.