BEIJING, May 24 -- The traditional scene of sea birds flying over reeds through blue skies in Caofeidian, Hebei Province, will not be ruined with the arrival of China's leading iron and steel producer, local officials have said.

    Shougang Group is being relocated from Beijing to the small island in Hebei to ensure Beijing will be less polluted as the 2008 Olympic Games approaches.

    "When operations in the new location start, the heavy emission days are over," Xue Boxun, deputy director of the Caofeidian Industrial Park Administrative Committee, was quoted by CCTV as saying.

    The industrial park has been specially built for Shougang Group and its related industries.

    His words were aimed at dispelling concerns that the island may become another major polluter.

    In past decades, the iron producer has sparked controversy for both its high revenues and heavy pollution.

    In recent years before the relocation, the inhalable particles it discharged every year contributed 23 per cent of the total harmful particles floating in the capital city's air.

    Designated as a flagship project for green production, Shougang is committed to being a zero-emission production model for all high-polluting heavy industries to follow, said Xue.

    Advanced technology and design will be used to minimize the energy consumption and maximize the use of the resources in the whole production chain, Xue said. Waste water, gas, and materials generated will all be used in other projects.

    "We will not let go of any piece of scrap or drop of water in the iron-making process," said Zhang Fuming, chief designer of project.

    All the waste is in the form of raw or semi-raw materials, so they can go into other industries like chemical production or power generation, he said.

    However, Shougang could perform better if a recycling chain is established across the whole industrial park, suggested Zhang Jianyu, Beijing office head of US-based non-profit organization Environmental Defence.

    Liu Donghong, one of the planners of the industrial park, said that by using advanced technologies, the amount of water used in production would be reduced by as much as one-third. This means up to 76 million cubic metres water could be saved every year.

    Sitting on 12 square kilometres of land, the first phase of the iron base will be put into operation at the beginning of next year. Some 4 million tons of high-quality iron and steel products will be produced by the end of 2007.

    By 2010, capacity will increase to 10 million tons before it enters the second phase of production.

(Source: China Daily)