Hebei Province-based Chinese steelmaker Hebei Iron & Steel Group (HBIS) has announced that its environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for its Macheng iron ore mining project has been approved by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).
The ministry stated that Macheng iron ore mining project is in accordance with national industrial policy and overall mineral resources planning in Hebei Province, and accordingly China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has given Hebei Steel Group the go-ahead to implement initial works at the mine. Located in the county of Luannan in Tangshan in Hebei Province, the Macheng iron ore mine project is a major part of Hebei Steel Group's plan to achieve an annual output capacity of 35 million iron ore concentrate by 2015. The iron ore reserves at the Macheng iron ore mine are estimated at 756 million mt, while the annual output at the mine is expected to be 25 million mt of raw iron ore.