About half of China's steelmaking capacity will have to comply with tougher emissions standards by 2020, Reuters reported May 17, citing a document from the country's Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
Under a draft plan obtained by the newswire, an annual capacity of 480 million tonnes will be required to meet ultra-low emissions standards, with the target to rise to 900 million tonnes by 2025.
Mills around China's capital of Beijing, the northern city of Tianjin, and the Hebei province were given until 2020 to comply with the new standards. However, the cities of Tangshan and Handan in Hebei may apply for an extension until 2022.
Last year, China produced 832 million tonnes of steel against a production capacity of 950 million tonnes, the report noted.
