China's Olympic pollution problem

One of China's biggest steel makers, Shougang, has announced it will slash production at its Beijing plant, bowing to pressure to help clean the city's grimy skies for the Olympic Games. Confirming earlier statements, the Group said that in the third quarter output of iron, steel and steel products at its Beijing plant will shrink by 50 percent compared with the same period last year. "By adopting some production reducing and restricting measures, we are only operating at around 27 percent of our full capacity now. Although our emission level has reached the national A standard, we pledge to further cut our emissions during the Olympic Games by over 70 percent," Zhu Jimin, president of Shougang group told reporters. Beijing's chronic pollution has been one of the biggest headaches for Games organisers, who have vowed that restrictions on traffic and factories will bring blue skies and easy breathing for athletes during the Aug. 8-24 Games. Shougang, whose name means "Capital Steel", is the worst polluter in the city. It is moving production to a 10 million tonne, state-of-the-art mill on the nearby coast of Hebei province that is slated to be fully ready by 2010. "Some envioronmental protection groups, and relevant college institutions have done some research and tests, and have made some analysis to come out with the conclusion that Shougang is responsible for about 10 percent of the dust that goes to the city every year. But this data is not very complete," said Zhu Jimin. Shougang was originally due to end all operations at its mill in the west of the city before the Olympics, but now plans to fully close that plant by the end of 2010. City officials told Shougang to restrict production to 200,000 tonnes per month over the Games period, a cut that will reduce its emissions by 70 percent, a company executive said last year. The Group did not say when it will begin the production cuts, but the Beijing government issued rul...