The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has organized the drafting of the Action Plan for Comprehensive Control of Air Pollution in the Beijing Tianjin Hebei and Surrounding Areas, as well as the Fenwei Plain for Autumn and Winter 2023-2024 (Draft for Soliciting Opinions). From October 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, dozens of urban chemical enterprises in major chemical provinces such as Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi faced production restrictions and shutdowns.

    The "Draft for Soliciting Opinions" clearly states that high-quality promotion of ultra-low emission transformation projects in the steel, cement, and coking industries. By the end of December 2023, the entire process of ultra-low emission transformation in the steel industry will be completed and the production capacity will exceed 50 million tons will be announced. Propose to promote clean transportation for enterprises in industries such as coal, thermal power, steel, coke, and building materials. Accelerate the promotion of new energy for heavy-duty trucks in industries such as thermal power, steel, and cement, as well as on-site operating vehicles and machinery in railway freight yards, logistics parks, ports, airports, and industrial and mining enterprises.

    The "Draft for Soliciting Opinions" requires that heavy pollution weather response be carried out in accordance with the law and regulations. It is not allowed to arbitrarily initiate early warning, increase the level of early warning, or extend the emergency response time based on the achievement of air quality improvement goals and not in accordance with the requirements of the emergency plan. We will focus on industries such as steel, casting, building materials, non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, chemicals, and industrial coatings, and create a group of benchmark enterprises for atmospheric governance. Implement differentiated management and control of performance grading, implement independent emission reduction measures for environmental performance A-level and leading enterprises, and supervise and enforce law on benchmark enterprises included in the positive list to ensure "no disturbance".

    The notice specifies the shutdown time for the 4.3 meter coke oven in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, and the withdrawal of concentrated production capacity will take place in the fourth quarter. The "Notice" proposes that all regions strengthen the promotion of outdated coal-fired boilers and furnaces to be phased out and updated, requiring the elimination of 55 coal-fired boilers and 169 gas generators by the end of December 2023; Shanxi Province has shut down the coke oven with a height of 4.3 meters in the carbonization room, and Shaanxi Province has formulated an exit plan for the coke oven with a height of 4.3 meters in the carbonization room, clarifying the time schedule. It is expected that 31.78 million tons of production capacity will be phased out nationwide and 23.73 million tons of new production capacity will be added in the fourth quarter. The implementation of centralized production capacity addition and elimination in various regions will be carried out in the fourth quarter, which may cause a phased decline in coke supply and lead to a mismatch between supply and demand.