Hebei, northern Chinese province home to 130 of China's 173 known mineral types, is spearheading the country's green transition agenda of steel manufacturing sector.
The province surrounding Beijing and Tianjin Municipality accounts for about one-fifth of the entire steel production capacity in China and a tenth of global output.
In an impressive display of environmental commitment, Hebei boasts 37 companies with top-tier environmental performance (A-grade) and 38 national-level green factories - both figures leading the country.
By the end of 2024, all steel enterprises based in Hebei are set to achieve A-grade environmental performance and green factory status.
At the forefront of this transformation is Tangshan Iron-and-Steel Group (Tangsteel), part of Hesteel Group Company Limited (HBIS).
Their high-strength automotive steel production workshop is a marvel of modern engineering. Standing at nearly 50 meters tall - equivalent to a nine-story building - and stretching over two kilometers in length, the facility houses a 26.5-meter high annealing furnace.
Despite its size, the workshop operates with just 14 workers, thanks to two highly automated production lines. Each line requires only seven operators working from three main control rooms, which act as the 'smart brains' of the operation, automatically matching data and adjusting speeds.
The facility produces ultra-high-strength aluminized steel with a thickness of just 1.5 millimeters but boasting a strength of 2000 MPa. To put this in perspective, a fingernail-size piece of such steel could support the weight of an adult elephant.
The manufacturing process of the steel plate involves over 20 steps and incorporates more than 20 patented technologies.
The initially gray-black steel sheets are transformed into shiny aluminized steel plates, capable of being produced at a rate of up to 110 tons per hour.
These plates are crucial in improving automobile light-weighting and safety performance.
This modernization extends beyond Tangshan.
In provincial capital Shijiazhuang, Shisteel has relocated to a new 150-hectares site in Jingxing Mining District, adopting short-process special steel production and introducing world-leading, low-carbon, high-efficiency equipment - the dual-vertical shaft scrap steel preheating direct-current electric arc furnace.
The new facility, operational since October 2020, also features intelligent robots working collaboratively on production lines.
During China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the company aims to develop eight "individual champion" products, including steel for mining round ring chains and high-speed rail spring fasteners. Environmental considerations are at the forefront of this industrial revolution. The new "garden-style" factory not only achieves zero wastewater discharge but also serves as a water treatment plant.
It processes urban wastewater to a standard suitable for fish farming and flower cultivation, annually replacing the equivalent of 25,000 three-person households' annual water consumption.
Hebei Province leads Chinese steel sector's green transition
