At least three steel mills in China's city of Xuzhou in Jiangsu, the nation's No. 2 steelmaking province, have suspended operations as factories scramble to cut emissions as part of a tough environmental crackdown, three company sources said.
The plants have combined capacity to produce 4.25 million tonnes per year of steel, a third of the city's capacity.
The city's environmental bureau declined to comment.
"Mills, no matter big or small, have all stopped operation," said a sales manager at Liguo Zhenbei Steel Co, which is shut. He declined to give his name as he is not authorised to talk to media.
Xuzhou Dongnan Steel Industrial Co Ltd, one of the city's biggest steel mills by production capacity, is temporarily closed for maintenance, an official told Reuters by phone. The official did not say how long the plant will be shut.
Earlier this month, the city launched six months of environmental inspections at industrial plants and construction sites as part of its 2018 action plan to clean the skies.
