Hebei fights pollution with relocation of steel firm

(ECNS) -- A large iron and steel firm in Beijing's neighboring Hebei province commenced relocation last Friday under pressure of environmental pollution, the Shanghai-based China Business News reported.

Shijiazhuang Iron and Steel in Shijiazhuang city, subordinate to Hebei Iron and Steel Group, the country's largest steel producer, will be relocated to suburban Jingxing Mining District by 2017.

Wang Liping, president of the firm, said at the signing ceremony with the district government last Friday that pollution affects the public and that the transportation of materials and products have worsened the city's traffic woes.

The new location is situated in a mountain-locked basin, which would reduce the environmental impact of business, he added.

Sheng Zhicheng, assistant secretary general of the steel committee at the Steel Logistics Professional Committee under the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP), did not consider such relocation as innovative. "Most pressure comes from the regional environment pollution," he commented.

Waste gas and heavy metals generated during steel processing are major polluters that cause serious air pollution in Hebei, according to Zhang Yuanxun, a professor of environmental sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) last Tuesday criticized Hebei for not doing enough to curb the causes of smog that shrouded northern China for nearly a week from October 6.

The province has experienced some of China's worst air pollution, with its capital Shijiazhuang around 291 kilometers from Beijing.