200 Companies Will Shut down to Reduce Pollution

In order to deepen the local governance on industrial air pollution, another 200 high-emission companies will be closed from production in 2013.

Thanks to the increase of high-tech manufacturing and the promotion of technological innovation, the energy consumption per 10,000 yuan in value-added by industry in the city decreased 8.4 percent last year, said Jin Wei, director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology (BJEIT).

"The strengthening of technological innovation features the industrial development of the city last year," said Jin. Aside from that, the decrease in energy consumption also depended on the acceleration of the city's "Green Development" program.

In 2013, in order to deepen the local governance on industrial air pollution, another 200 high-emission companies will be prohibited from production. Jin said these 200 companies, mainly located at Fangshan, Haidian, Fengtai, and Daxing districts, and the industrial areas include building materials, chemical, foundries and electroplating.

Since the producing unit of Shougang Group, the largest steel company in the capital, moved out of the urban area in December 2010, the city’s coal consumption has reduced by 2.6 million tons, and the dust emission has decreased by 5,900 tons. Since 2007, more than 180 highly polluting companies have moved away from the urban districts, saving three million tons of fired coal in total, according to BJEIT.