Following the examination of 298 steelworks in Northern China, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) claims that 70% of them do not comply with pollution standards.

The MEP’s head of science and technology said that environmental standards at RMB100 to the production cost of every tonne of crude steel, which is more than the per tonne cost of crude steel.

“Many steelworks take the risk of saving environmental protection costs,” said Xiong Yuehui.

Eight out of 10 of China’s most polluted cities are located in Northern China and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) wants producers in the region to cut iron and steel production by over 100Mt within the next five years.

Source: China Metals.