MYSTEEL: China's provincial govts set to upgrade steel sector for cleaner air
According to the plan, by 2025, PM 2.5 density in domestic cities at the prefecture level and above should be reduced by 10% compared to 2020, the number of heavily polluted days should be kept within 1% in the whole year, and the total emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds should decrease by more than 10% from 2020, as reported.
The plan emphasized upgrading the steel industry as a key path for reducing pollutant emissions. It proposed eliminating outdated steelmaking capacities, integrating production processes like coking, ore sintering and pelletizing, and hot rolling, as well as advancing steel production via electric-arc-furnace (EAF) route. Specifically, it aimed to increase the ratio of national EAF steel output to 15% of the country's total steel production by 2025.
Following this goal, the 22 provincial regions have set their specific targets for developing local EAF mills in their action plans, Mysteel Global noted.
Most provinces have aligned their goals with those set by the State Council, while a few regions with advanced EAF capacity are more ambitious, as their plans suggest. For example, authorities in Southwest China's Sichuan and East China's Zhejiang both target lifting the ratio of EAF-route steel production to 40% by 2025.
In addition to increasing EAF production, some provinces have also attached importance to ultra-low emission renovation in the steel industry and the optimization of steelmaking raw materials, Mysteel observed.
The government of North China's Inner Mongolia has put forward that by 2025, more than 80% of local steel capacity should complete the ultra-low emission renovation, and by 2027, all steel capacity in the region should complete such renovations.
Central China's Hunan aims to increase the average steel scrap ratio in the province's overall steelmaking raw materials mix to over 30% by 2025, and Northeast China's Liaoning set the goal at 15% for the ratio, according to their plans.
Mysteel Global also notes from a meeting that East China's Jiangsu – a major hub for EAF-based steelmaking - is also reviewing its action plan in this regard.
These upgrades in the steel industry are expected to contribute to the continual improvement of air quality in China, creating a cleaner environment for the population, according to the State Council.
Written by Anthea Shi, shihui@mysteel.com
Edited by Alyssa Ren, rentingting@mysteel.com
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