The No 1 blast furnace at Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel's new 50-billion-yuan ($8 billion) project in Donghai Island made a significant breakthrough in production during the first half of 2016, averaging a daily output of 11,500 tons.

It is now just over a year since the first furnace came into operation on Sept 25, 2015, and during that time the modern facility has continued to make strides in both production and quality, developing 239 types of steel.

The company has also won several awards for the quality of its products, including the prestigious China Construction Engineering Luban Award and National Quality Engineering Award.

The first phase of the project is now fully complete, and production has now reached full capacity with annual molten iron and steel production up to 8.2 million tons and 8.9 million tons respectively. Products have sold well domestically, and have also expanded the company's presence in overseas markets like India and Spain.

The No 2 blast furnace also started production in July, two months ahead of schedule, with workers making painstaking efforts since the first furnace was put up in May 2013 to keep the project on schedule.

Baosteel Zhanjiang was established in May 2011 through the joint effort of Baosteel Group Corporation and Zhanjiang government.