China to close (or force the overhaul) of 2,087 factories

[Beerball]

link

 

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology quietly published a list late Sunday of 2,087 steel mills, cement works and other energy-intensive factories required to close by Sept. 30.

 

Energy analysts described it as significant step toward the country’s energy efficiency goals, but not enough by itself to achieve them.

 

Over the years, provincial and municipal officials have sometimes tried to block Beijing’s attempts to close aging factories in their jurisdictions. These officials have particularly sought to protect older steel mills and other heavy industrial operations that frequently have thousands of employees and have sometimes provided workers with housing, athletic facilities and other benefits since the 1950s or 1960s.

 

To prevent such local obstruction this time, the ministry said in a statement on its Web site that the factories on its list would be barred from obtaining bank loans, export credits, business licenses and land. The ministry even warned that their electricity would be shut off, if necessary.

[texasjute]

I just got back from a trip to Beijing and Tokyo. The air quality in Beijing was brutal - there was a thick, grey haze that was there the whole week; we really never saw the sun or the sky. A lot of the sights were disappointing (hard to see more than immediately in front of you), and it was terrible for photography. It was very hot, but so was Tokyo, and in Tokyo there was plenty of blue sky and sun. I'd never been to China before, and the air just made it feel very depressing. Everything, especially cars and windows, was covered with a solid film of dirt - they've got a lot of cleaning up to do.

[Just Jack]

I just got back from a trip to Beijing and Tokyo. The air quality in Beijing was brutal - there was a thick, grey haze that was there the whole week; we really never saw the sun or the sky.

That was fog. At least that's what our tour guide tried to convince us it was.