UPDATE: Sintering curbs in Tangshan affect blast furnace operations

As part of the efforts to alleviate local air pollution, integrated steel mills in Tangshan, China's top steelmaking hub in North China's Hebei province, have cut their sintering operations by 30% since July 1 on notice from local officials, as reported. The sintering curbs have also led to reduced operations of a few blast furnaces (BFs) at local mills, according to Mysteel's survey results.

Mysteel's tracking of 89 BFs owned by 23 steel mills in Tangshan showed that two more BFs, with a total volume of 2,360 m³, were idled for maintenance on July 3, resulting in a reduction of 6,100 tonnes/day in hot metal output among Tangshan mills. Another two BFs with a