Beijing Orders 1,200 Factories to Close or Cut Output Amid Smog
- Sinopec’s oil refinery plant and BBMG’s mortor unit affected
- Beijing issued first red alert in air pollution on Thursday
Heavy smog in Beijing on Dec. 16.
Photographer: VCG via Getty ImagesBeijing municipal government ordered more than 1,200 factories in the printing, construction materials and petrochemical industries citywide to either suspend or cut output after earlier issuing this year’s first red alert warning for severely high levels of air pollution.
Under a contingency plan for severe air pollution, the city shut down more than 700 plants with production procedures that will pollute air and required 500 more to reduce production, according to a statement posted on the municipal government website on Saturday. Beijing Jingmei Chemical Industry Co. and an oil refinery plant of China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. are among the factories to cut output, while a BBMG Corporation subsidiary’s mortar plant is among those closed.