Tangshan Contemplates Output Curbs beyond Winter Heating Season in 2019

According to an official notice released on 18 January, China's top steelmaking city, Tangshan is mulling increased output curbs on sintering machines and shaft furnaces at steel mills in the month of Mar'19 and is also contemplating extending the winter production cuts beyond the heating season.

Apart from this, along with the ongoing winter curbs, all sintering machines and shaft furnaces at steelmakers who do not provide heating services in Tangshan would be required to cut down their capacities to half in the month of March as it is being anticipated that air quality during the month will worsen.

For the same period, sintering machines and shaft furnaces at steelmakers that provide heating services would be subject to production cut levels in line with winter curbs on blast furnaces.

Output cuts beyond March 2019

Now in case of period beyond the winter heating season i.e. from April to September 2019, steel mills in two parts of the city would be required to maintain heating-season production cuts in turn.

In April, August and September months, mills in the high-tech industrial development zone, Fengrun, Zunhua, Qianxi, Yutian areas, Lutai economic development zone, and Hangu management zone would be required to continue winter curbs on blast furnaces and to cut capacity of sintering and pelletising machines by half. Mills that provide heating services would be exempted from the limitations.

Steel mills in Lunan, Lubei, Kaiping, Guye, Fengnan, Qian'an, Luanzhou, Luannan, Leting, Caofeidian areas and harbour development zone would be subject to similar curbs in during May-July 2019.

In case of companies, Shougang Jingtang Iron and Steel, Wenfeng Iron and Steel in Caofeidian district, Delong Steel and Heavy Plate in Leting county and Zongheng Steel and Iron in Fengnan district would be required to cut capacity of sintering machines, shaft furnaces and blast furnaces by 20%.

The city would also impose production curbs on other heavy industries including coke, cement, casting, volatile organic compounds (VOCs)-related and glass during March-September 2019.