BEIJING, 18 Oct Reuters - China's daily crude steel output in September plunged to the lowest since December 2018 according to Reuters calculations based on official data as a power crunch in much of the country and environmental curbs slowed down factory activity.
The world's top steel producer churned out 73.75 million tonnes of the metal last month, compared to August output of 83.24 million tonnes from the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday. That is down 21.2% from the same month a year earlier.
China's average daily crude steel production was 2.46 million tonnes in September, down 8.6% from the average oil production in August, according to Reuters calculations.
In the first nine months of the year, China produced 805.89 million tonnes steel, up 2% on an annual basis, according to the data.
Industrial production in the world's second biggest economy declined recently due to power rationing triggered by coal shortages, impacting sectors such as steel and aluminium.
Capacity utilisation rates at 71 electric arc furnaces in China have been dropping since late August and slipped to 49.22% the last week of September, down 21.09% from same period year earlier, data compiled by Mysteel showed showing
Production at long processes steel plants was also restrained by Beijing's efforts to reduce smog and carbon emissions and the pledge that production cannot exceed last year's record 1.065 billion tonnes.
The environment ministry and industry ministry issued a joint statement last week urging more mills in north China to keep to those cuts from Nov 15 to the end of 2021.
Additional, de Jan. 1, 2022 to March 15 Mills must cut their output by at least 30% of the production they have in 2021 to reduce air pollution.