China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has approved the construction of the Jingtang Iron and Steel Project, it announced in Beijing Thursday.

Beijing-based steel giant Shougang is relocating to the neighbouring Hebei province and setting up a new joint venture with Hebei-based Tangshan Iron and Steel Group, named Shougang Jingtang Iron and Steel Corp.

Shougang would shut down a production capacity of eight million tons of iron and steel in Beijing, while 7.3 million tons would be eliminated in Hebei province.

The approval signals the complete start-up of Shougang Jingtang Iron and Steel Project, said officials with the NDRC, adding investment on the project would reach 67.7 billion yuan.

The project is expected to produce 8.98 million tons of pig iron, 9.7 million tons of steel and 9.13 million tons of rolled steel, sources said.

The relocation of Shougang, long branded the capital's worst polluter with chimneys belching out thick clouds of smoke, is a major step towards solving the city's chronic air pollution problems.

首钢京唐钢铁项目

中国国家发展和改革委员会((NDRC) 于本周四在北京发布消息，批准京唐钢铁建造计划。北京钢铁巨人首钢迁移到与河北省接壤，并且与河北唐山钢铁集团联合建立一个新的合资公司，命名为首钢京唐钢铁联合有限责任公司。在北京，首钢将停止800万吨的钢铁生产量，同时在河北省也有730万吨钢铁被淘汰。NDRC官员表示“这项批准预示着首钢京唐钢铁项目的全面启动”， 加上对项目的投资总金额将达到677亿元。据相关消息称，此项目预期生产898万吨生铁，970万吨钢和913万吨轧钢。首钢烟囱中喷出的浓烟云长期被认为是首都最严重的污染源，它的迁移是解决城市长期空气污染问题的一项重要步骤。