BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top steelmaking city of Tangshan, in Hebei province, issued a second-level smog alert on Tuesday due to expected pollution in the coming few days, local government-backed media reported.
The alert will take effect from 8 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) on Oct. 15.
Steel mills evaluated with "A-level" emissions performance, the cleanest level, will set independent emission measures. Mills rated "B-level" and "C-level" will need to halt sintering and pellet production, and "C-level" plants will also have to curtail blast furnaces operations by more than 50%.
Independent sintering operations, pellet and steel rolling firms were also ordered to halt work.
Other industrials plants in coke, casting, cement and glass were asked to reduce output during the alert.
The media report did not say when the alert would be lifted.
(Reporting by Min Zhang and Dominique Patton; Editing by Alex Richardson)
