To ensure the successful completion of the 2020 battle to safeguard blue skies and the decisive task of fully building a moderately prosperous society, in accordance with relevant documents issued by the Shanxi Provincial Government, the People’s Government of Taiyuan City has formulated this decisive action plan based on our city’s specific conditions. The following are the sections pertaining to the iron and steel industry:

◎ In the six central districts, Gujiao City, Yangqu County, and Loufan County, the annual average concentration of sulfur dioxide in ambient air quality has reached 20 μg/m³; in Qingxu County, the annual average concentration of sulfur dioxide has reached 25 μg/m³.

◎ Tai Steel Stainless Steel Co., Ltd., in accordance with the evaluation and monitoring standards set forth in the “Notice of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Doing a Good Job in the Assessment and Monitoring of Ultra-Low Emissions in the Iron and Steel Industry” (Huanban Daqi Han [2019] No. 922), is accelerating the completion of acceptance inspections for its ultra-low emission upgrades, striving to achieve effective results at an early date and playing a leading role in city-wide emission reductions. (The Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment and the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology will take the lead, with cooperation from the Municipal Development and Reform Commission and the Municipal Transportation Bureau; Tai Steel Group is responsible for implementation.)

◎ By the end of September, Shanxi Meijin Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. will have fully completed the ultra-low emission upgrades covering organized emissions, unorganized emissions, and clean transportation of bulk materials. (Led by the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment and the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, with cooperation from the Municipal Development and Reform Commission and the Municipal Transportation Bureau; implementation will be overseen by the People’s Government of Qingxu County.)

◎ Continue to carry out comprehensive, in-depth management of fugitive emissions, strictly implementing precise control requirements for fugitive emissions at various stages including material transportation, material stockpiles, production processes, and plant-site environments. Enterprises in key industries such as coking, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, and building materials shall install high-definition video surveillance systems at locations prone to dust generation, and deploy micro-stations for air quality monitoring throughout their plant sites. Strengthen control over ammonia emission sources from industrial enterprises; all denitrification facilities employing SCR and SNCR technologies must be equipped with ammonia-escape monitoring instruments, with ammonia-escape concentrations controlled within 2.5 mg/m³ and 8 mg/m³, respectively. [Led by the Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, with cooperation from the Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau, and implementation responsibility assigned to the People's Governments of all counties (cities, districts)]

◎ The proportion of key industrial enterprises—such as those in the steel, power, and coking industries (the list of which is determined jointly by the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology and the Municipal Energy Bureau)—that have access to dedicated railway lines has reached over 80%. Large-scale industrial and mining enterprises equipped with dedicated railway lines (the list of which is jointly determined by the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, and the Taiyuan Railway Bureau) have achieved a railway transportation share of bulk commodities exceeding 80%, with this figure reaching over 90% for enterprises located within built-up urban areas and in the urban-rural fringe zones. In 2020, the city’s railway freight volume increased by 15 million tons compared to 2017. [Led by the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology and the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, with cooperation from the Municipal Transportation Bureau, the Municipal Energy Bureau, and the Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau; implementation responsibilities lie with the Taiyuan Railway Bureau, the people's governments of all counties (cities, districts), and the Management Committees of the Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone and the Stainless Steel Industrial Park.]

◎ For key vehicle enterprises involved in the transportation of bulk materials—including those in the steel, building materials, coke oven, nonferrous metals, chemical, and mining industries—we will implement emergency responses to severe pollution weather. During periods of severe pollution warnings, these enterprises shall comply with the emission reduction measures outlined in the industrial source reduction list. [Led by the Municipal Transportation Bureau, Municipal Public Security Bureau, and Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, with responsibility for implementation resting with the people's governments of all counties (cities, districts) as well as the Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone and the Stainless Steel Park Management Committee.]

Enterprises in high-emission industries such as iron and steel, building materials, coke production, casting, non-ferrous metals, and chemical industry will implement differentiated, staggered production during the heating season. A list of enterprises engaged in staggered production will be established and linked with the emergency emission reduction list for severe pollution weather, ensuring a significant reduction in atmospheric pollutant emissions from key industries during the heating season. The implementation of staggered production and emergency control measures for severe pollution weather by industrial enterprises will be incorporated into their discharge permits. [Led by the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology and the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, with responsibility for implementation resting with the people's governments of all counties (cities, districts) and the management committees of the Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone and the Stainless Steel Industrial Park.]

According to statistics from our network, there are two sample enterprises in Taiyuan City that have long-term operational resources: Tai Steel and Meijin. The total steel production capacity involved amounts to 14.4 million tons, of which Tai Steel accounts for 12 million tons (including 4.5 million tons of stainless steel). In terms of blast furnaces, there are a total of seven units with a combined volume of 14,130 m³, and the daily normal iron production is approximately 38,500 tons. As of now, one blast furnace with a capacity of 1,080 m³ has been shut down, reducing daily iron production by about 3,000 tons. Additionally, due to blast furnace maintenance and shortages of coke gas and billets, the rolling mills are operating below full capacity. Our network will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide timely updates.