(Yicai Global) Oct. 13 -- Steel manufacturers in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China’s main steel production base, have been ordered by the country’s regulators to conduct production during off-peak hours for the next four months and to cut output so as to reduce their carbon emissions and improve the air quality in the region.

Metal makers in 28 cities must limit production to times when there is low electricity demand between Nov. 15 and March 15 and slash their crude output by at least 30 percent from the same period last year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on their websites today. Hebei province alone accounted for nearly a quarter of China’s crude steel output last year.

The restriction includes eight cities, such as Chengde and Zhangjiakou, that will be venues for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The drop in factory activity will help clear the skies in time for the games and put the country on track to achieving its green goals.

Local governments must coordinate with the steel mills to ensure they take turns to manufacture so as not to overload the grid during off-peak times, the ministries said.

Editor: Kim Taylor