12 environmentally-damaging projects permanently canceled

12 environmentally-damaging projects permanently canceled

The State Environmental Protection Administration of China has permanently canceled 12 environmentally-damaging projects, half of which are iron-and-steel-related, as part of a clean-up program.

According to SEPA's announcement yesterday, these projects are all high-energy-consuming and severely polluting.

The total investment injected into these projects has already reached RMB 2 billion ($257.9 million).

On Jan. 10, SEPA punished 82 projects that were in violation of the state's industrial policy and environmental laws and regulations. Industrial project grants in four regional-level cities, Tangshan, Hebei province, Laiwu, Shandong province, Liupanshui, Guizhou province, and Luliang, Shanxi province, were restricted pending administrative approval.

The remaining 70 less environmentally damaging projects are currently being improved.

SEPA announced that only after effective improvement can the "approval restriction" be lifted.

At present, only Laiwu Iron and Steel Group's cold-rolled sheet project has completed improvements and gained administrative approval.

Local media previously reported that SEPA would crack down on polluting projects, and strictly follow China's "Eleventh Five-year Economic Development Plan." According to SEPA official Pan Yue, SEPA plans to extend its "approval grants restriction policy" to cover more regions and industries in the future.

Projects canceled by SEPA:

200,000-ton iron alloy project
Baotou Tuyouqi Merchants Service Center
Baotou, Inner Mongolia

Steel converter project
Changshu Hangda Iron and Steel Co. Ltd
Changshu, Jiangsu province

Coke producing project
Hengchen Coke Co. Ltd
Yantai, Shandong province

Environmental-protection facilities for special ferrous silicon producing
Pingan Special Ferrous Silicon Co. Ltd
Haidong District, Qinghai province

No.2 coke oven project
Eshan Tianda Industrial and Trade Co. Ltd
Yuxi, Yunnan province

Capacity-expansion project
Changbaishan Mountain Fine Chemical Co. Ltd
Jilin, Jilin province

Metallurgy production line project
Oasis Agricultural Development Co. Ltd
Fuyang, Anhui province

Wine making project
Xingbang Science and Technology Co. Ltd
Haozhou, Anhui province

Alkali salt mining and processing project
Tongbai County Ludi Co. Ltd
Nanyang, Henan province

Iron and steel project
Xinlian Iron and Steel Co. Ltd
Tangshan, Hebei province

Iron and steel project
Baoye Industrial Group Co. Ltd
Tangshan, Hebei province

Iron and steel project
Ruannan Huarui Iron and Steel Co. Ltd
Tangshan, Hebei province

Source: State Environmental Protection Administration of China
via: Interfax China Metals, 16 February 2007