US Steel to restart Gary Works blast furnace next week
Integrated steelmaker US Steel will restart the No 6 blast furnace at its Gary Works steel mill in Indiana after the 4 July holiday weekend, nearly two months after it was idled because of Covid-19-related demand shocks.
The 1.36mn short ton (st)/yr blast furnace was idled at the end of April as part of a slew of closures beginning in March that at one point took more than 19mn st/yr of flat-rolled steel capacity offline as automakers and other steel-consuming manufacturers shuttered suddenly in the face of the growing coronavirus pandemic in the US.
The company said it was restarting the blast furnace to meet increased demand. Ferrous scrap market sources have said while scrap supply has risen, demand has remained relatively flat, and many expect prime scrap prices to fall by $20-$30/gross ton (gt) in the July ferrous trade, which should begin next week.
US Steel's decision comes weeks after US Steel restarted its idled 1.5mn st/yr No 1 blast furnace at its Mon Valley works south of Pittsburgh.
Multiple sources said the Mon Valley blast furnace was brought online because of production issues with the mill's smaller, 1.4mn st/yr No 3 blast furnace.
The restart comes as Cleveland-Cliffs is preparing to restart its AK Steel Dearborn steel mill in Detroit and NLMK Indiana begins firing up its electric arc furnace (EAF) after a nearly month-long outage. Market sources said JSW's Mingo Junction mill in Ohio has also been restarted after being taken offline for upgrades.
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South32 misses Australian coking coal output target
South32 misses Australian coking coal output target
Sydney, 22 July (Argus) — Australian-South African diversified resources company South32 was 2pc off its coking coal production target of 4.4mn t at its Australian Illawarra coal operations in the 2023-24 fiscal year to 30 June. The firm is on track to complete the sale of its Illawarra operations in New South Wales (NSW) state by the end of September, marking its exit from coal as it focuses on its non-ferrous metal portfolio. It completed three and started a fourth longwall move at the Appin and Dendrobium mines, leaving new owner Golden Energy and Resources and M Resources with a lower maintenance burden into 2025. South32's total coal production was down by 24pc in 2023-24 compared with the previous year, largely because of maintenance. The firm increased production in the fourth quarter and final half of 2023-24 after a weak first half but the quarter was still down by 15pc on April-June 2023. South32 expects its costs for 2023-24 to be around $150/t, which is in line with its guidance, which was raised from $140/t in February. It received an average price for its Illawarra coal of $275/t for its metallurgical coal and $113/t for its thermal coal for January-June compared with $276/t and $101/t respectively in July-December 2023. The firm's operating margins at its Illawarra metallurgical coal operations were $17/t on thermal coal and $152/t on metallurgical coal in 2022-23 when its operating costs were $127/t. It will release its 2023-24 results on 29 August. Argus last assessed the premium hard coking coal price at $229/t fob Australia on 19 July, down from $334.50/t on 19 January and close to the $235.50/t on 19 July 2023. It assessed the high-grade 6,000 kcal/kg NAR thermal coal price at $134.87/t fob Newcastle on 19 July, up from $128.09/t on 19 January and down from $129.18/t on 19 January 2023. South32 last year dropped plans for a $700mn expansion at Dendrobium, following a dispute with NSW's water agency over its potential impact on water quality . Dendrobium, which supplies coking coal to the Whyalla steelworks in South Australia and exports from NSW's Port Kembla coal terminal, is expected to close in 2028. By Jo Clarke South32 Illawarra Coal output (mn t) Apr-Jun '24 Jan-Mar '24 Apr-Jun '23 2023-24 2022-23 2023-24 guidance Met coal production 1.27 1.24 1.50 4.31 5.50 4.40 Met coal sales 1.36 1.05 1.53 4.17 5.40 Thermal coal production 0.21 0.16 0.25 0.63 1.02 0.60 Thermal coal sales 0.18 0.19 0.17 0.70 0.96 Total production 1.49 1.41 1.75 4.94 6.52 5.50 Source: South32 Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia’s Whitehaven hits 2023-24 coal guidance
Australia’s Whitehaven hits 2023-24 coal guidance
Sydney, 19 July (Argus) — Australian coal producer Whitehaven met its production guidance for its New South Wales (NSW) mines in the 2023-24 fiscal year to 30 June, with managed run-of-mine (ROM) output from its newly acquired Queensland mines also meeting their guidance. Saleable coal production at Whitehaven's NSW-based assets totalled 16.7mn t for 2023-24, up by 6pc on the 15.7mn t recorded last fiscal year and within its guidance for 2023-24 of 16mn-17.5mn t. Saleable output from NSW for April-June was 4.3mn t, 11pc higher than January-March's 3.87mn t and above the year earlier figure of 3.83mn t. Saleable production from Queensland totalled 4mn t, Whitehaven's first quarter since acquiring Australian-Japanese joint venture BHP Mitsubishi Alliance's 12mn t/yr Blackwater and 4mn t/yr Daunia coking and thermal coal mines on 2 April. Queensland coal sales of 3.2mn t for the quarter reflected slippage into July-September because of now resolved, transition-related rail constraints from Daunia, Whitehaven said. A selldown of around 20pc of Blackwater to global steel producers is progressing, the firm reported, without providing further details. The first production and sales have been achieved at the 10mn t/yr Vickery mine , while operations ceased during April at the 2.5mn t/yr ROM capacity Werris Creek mine. Whitehaven's overall unaudited unit cost guidance, excluding royalties, for NSW in 2023-24 was A$114/t ($76/t), above the guidance range of A$103-113/t because of lower production at Narrabri and underlying inflation. Capital expenditure was A$380mn, below the 2023-24 guidance of A$400-480mn. The Argus high-grade 6,000 kcal/kg NAR price averaged $133.46/t fob Newcastle and the 5,500 kcal/kg NAR coal price $88.47/t during April-June compared with $126.74/t and $93.85/t respectively for January-March. Whitehaven's full-year results will be published on 22 August. By Tom Major Whitehaven results Apr-Jun '24 Jan-Mar '24 Apr-Jun '23 Volumes (mn t) Managed coal production 8.3 3.9 3.8 Managed coal sales 7.3 3.8 3.9 Managed coal stocks 2.7 1.0 1.5 Coal sales revenue mix (%) Metallurgical coal 59 13 5 Thermal coal 41 87 95 Prices achieved ($/t) NSW average 137 136 177 Queensland average 180 Source: Whitehaven Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
India’s MRAI urges zero import duty on Al scrap
India’s MRAI urges zero import duty on Al scrap
Mumbai, 18 July (Argus) — The Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI) has urged the government to remove import duties on aluminium scrap in its budget to be presented on 23 July. "Among the key challenges faced by the Indian aluminium recycling industry is paying [a] 2.5pc import duty on aluminium scrap," MRAI said in a letter to India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. "It is a key raw material for aluminium recycling and the government should make it zero until the quality material is available in sufficient quantity in the domestic market." The government has a duty to create a level playing field between primary and secondary aluminium producers, said MRAI president Sanjay Mehta. "If customs duties are applicable on import of scrap, then commensurate export duties on the basis of total cost to country on primary products should also be levied." India does not have sufficient supplies of good quality metal scrap to support its recycling industry and relies heavily on imports. The current import duty system, coupled with the lack of aluminium scrap in India, reduce Indian producers' competitiveness in global markets because most other countries have no import duty on metal scrap. This could decelerate the country's effort to achieve its sustainability goals, added MRAI senior vice-president Dhawal Shah and the managing director of CMR Green Technologies Mohan Agarwal. India imported 1.83mn t of aluminium scrap in 2023 with more than a quarter coming from the US. Europe, the Middle East and north Africa are its other key suppliers. By Deepika Singh Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
China's Sunwoda plans $275mn battery plant in Vietnam
China's Sunwoda plans $275mn battery plant in Vietnam
Singapore, 18 July (Argus) — Major Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer Sunwoda plans to build a 2bn yuan ($275mn) battery plant in northern Vietnam's Bac Giang province. The site is expected to produce consumer battery cells, system-in-package and batteries, said Sunwoda. Capacity was undisclosed but the site is expected to generate around $1bn/yr of revenue, according to an official portal by Bac Giang Provincial People's committee. Northern Vietnam houses sites of multiple major technology and semiconductor firms including Apple, Foxconn and Samsung, but unannounced or short-notice power cuts have affected production bases in the region. Power outages in Northern Vietnam during May-June 2023 disrupted production and were estimated to have shaved 0.3pc off the country's GDP, according to a 2023 report by World Bank. But the province has "overcome the power supply difficulties", said the current chairman of the Bac Giang Provincial People's committee chair Le Anh Duong. The power supply lines and stations for manufacturing plants in the province have been strengthened, Duong said, adding that the province is looking at upgrading its electricity transmission system and prioritising the allocation of electricity output to key manufacturing companies. Sunwoda will be on its power supply priority list if Sunwoda goes ahead with the investment, said Duong. Rising market barrier pressure and overseas demand prompted major Chinese battery firms to expand overseas in an attempt to deal with geopolitical curbs. Disclosed overseas investment from China's lithium-ion battery sector totalled Yn565bn as of June, according to Chinese research institution EV Tank earlier this month. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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