China Seeks Feedback on Draft Guidelines to Measure Steel Sector Emissions

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): China is seeking public feedback on new guidelines for the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from the steel industry, the environment ministry said on Friday, part of efforts to prepare mills for their entry into the country's carbon market.

China issued a draft plan in September to extend its emissions trading scheme to the steel, cement and aluminium sectors by the end of this year, putting hundreds of firms under pressure to beef up their monitoring capabilities.

New international schemes like Europe's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism also require exporters from China and elsewhere to account fully for the carbon dioxide emissions they generate when making their products.

The guidelines are designed to standardise the way greenhouse gas emissions in the steel sector are measured and meet the needs of the expanded national carbon market, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said in a statement.

Feedback can be submitted by the public until Dec. 16 on the new rules, which will apply to all steel enterprises involved in the carbon market, it said.

China's massive steel sector accounts for around 17% of its total greenhouse gas emissions, with most of its plants still heavily reliant on coal-fired blast furnaces and coal-fired electricity supplies.

China's steelmakers generate an average of 2.3 metric tons of carbon dioxide per ton of steel produced, higher than the global average of 1.4 tons, the Asia Research & Engagement think tank said in a report published this week.

 Courtesy: www.reuters.com