ArcelorMittal buys three German recycling operations

Market: Metals
05/05/22

Austria's federal competition authority BWB said it was yesterday notified about Luxembourg-based steel group ArcelorMittal's planned purchase of three recycling businesses in Germany.

According to a merger notification announcement released by BWB today, ArcelorMittal intends to acquire all shares and take sole control over ALBA Metall Sud Franken, ALBA Metall Sud Rhein-Main and ALBA Electronics Recycling. All three companies are located in Germany and currently owned by German recycling group ALBA.

ALBA Metall Sud Franken and ALBA Metall Sud Rhein-Main combined operate six recycling locations in Germany, mostly located around Frankfurt and northern Bavaria. Both companies specialise in ferrous and non-ferrous metals recycling.

ALBA Electronic Recycling operates three recycling locations in southern and southwestern Germany. The company collects and processes electrical and electronic scrap.

ArcelorMittal acquired Scottish metals recycling group John Lawrie Metals earlier this year.

By Chi Hin Ling

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15/09/26

Indian steel exporters seek clarity on EU FTA quotas

Mumbai, 15 September (Argus) — India's steel exporters have sought clarity on tariff-rate quotas under the published India-EU free trade agreement (FTA) text, as concerns grow that allocations for several flat steel products may have been reduced. The text, under Annex 2-B released on 11 September, grants India annual steel tariff-rate quota access of 1.64mn t in the EU, comprising a most-favoured nation (MFN) quota of 946,616t and a preferential FTA quota of 694,853t. The largest allocations are for flat steel products, including 509,605t for hot-rolled coil (HRC), 218,658t for cold-rolled coil (CRC) and 197,860t for category 4.A metallic-coated sheet. But under quota allocations published by the EU in June and applicable from 1 July, India's country-specific quotas stood at 597,274t for HRC, 269,974t for CRC and 233,183t for category 4.A metallic coated sheet. The FTA text has sparked concerns in the Indian steel industry about a reduction in India's quota allocations and their implications on future trade with the EU. Indian steel market participants noted India's total quota allocation under the FTA text appears about 300,000t lower than the quotas published by the EU in late June. But they are awaiting clarity on when the provisions would take effect and which figures should be considered the final allocation for India before drawing conclusions on the extent of India's market access. The European Commission in the FTA text said the tariff-rate quotas will "take effect on the date the EU Steel Regulation starts applying". It added that the text follows negotiations concluded on 27 January and remains subject to legal revision before signature and entry into force. A major Indian mill said the quotas appear to be lower but it was seeking clarification from its EU lawyers. Some market participants mulled the impact on pro-rata duties and quota usage. If the reduced quotas are applicable, Indian HRC exports may have "massively overshot" tariff-free allocations in the next quarter, potentially incurring higher pro-rata duties than previously estimated, an international trading firm said. The commission did not immediately respond to Argus' request for clarification. India shipped over 200,000t of HRC to the EU around August, according to market estimates, against an October-December quota of 149,319t, as stated in the June document. Some volumes are likely to have already spilled over into January clearances, market participants said. By Amruta Khandekar India quotas for key product categories t Category Product MFN quota (under annex) FTA quota (under annex) Total quota (under annex) Total quota (June 2026 allocation) 1.A HRC 299,197 210,408 509,605 597,274 2 CRC 125,581 93,077 218,658 269,974 4.A Metallic coated sheet 113,084 84,776 197,860 233,183 4. B Metallic coated sheet 44,627 40,529 85,157 102,044 5 Organic coated sheet 110,919 75,119 186,038 217,338 7 Quarto plate 112,229 69,606 181,835 210,838 — European Commission Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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EU parliament rejects CBAM suspension clause: Update

15/09/26

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15/09/26

EU parliament rejects CBAM suspension clause: Update

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Australia’s BHP iron ore worker talks hit deadlock

15/09/26

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15/09/26

Australia’s BHP iron ore worker talks hit deadlock

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SMM commissions Japan's 1st EV battery recycling plant

15/09/26

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15/09/26

SMM commissions Japan's 1st EV battery recycling plant

Tokyo, 15 September (Argus) — Sumitomo Metal Mining (SMM) has commissioned Japan's first battery recycling plant in the country's Ehime prefecture. The facility is the country's first commercial-scale operation capable of recovering nickel, cobalt, lithium and copper from spent lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and other applications, it told Argus today. The recycling scheme "will contribute to the realisation of a circular economy and a carbon-neutral society by making effective use of critical minerals such as nickel, cobalt, copper and lithium, which are finite resources," an SMM representative told Argus . The plant's different processes are located across two sites in Ehime — SMM's Toyo smelter in Saijo city and nickel refinery in Niihama city. It has a processing capacity equivalent to around 10,000 t/yr of battery cells. This is equivalent to batteries used in around 60,000 EVs with 40kWh battery packs, according to the company. Full-scale operations are expected to begin in fiscal year 2028. The company did not disclose the investment figure or recovery volumes or rates for individual metals. Recovered nickel and cobalt will be processed into a high-purity nickel-cobalt mixed solution and supplied to SMM's Isoura plant for use as feedstock for battery cathode materials. SMM is working with chemical producer Kanto Denka Kogyo to combine its smelting and refining technologies with Kanto Denka's high-purity lithium recovery technology, aiming to establish a "battery-to-battery" recycling system in which recovered metals are reused in new battery materials. Feedstock will be sourced from both domestic and overseas markets. In addition to black mass — a concentrated material produced by crushing, neutralising and processing spent batteries — the facility will also accept battery manufacturing scrap. The government and industry established a battery industry strategy in 2022, targeting battery manufacturing capacity of 150 GWh/yr in Japan and 600 GWh/yr globally by 2030. Japan's economy, trade and industry ministry (Meti) estimates that achieving 600 GWh/yr of global battery manufacturing capacity would require 380,000 t/yr of lithium, 310,000 t/yr of nickel, 60,000 t/yr of cobalt, 600,000 t/yr of graphite and 50,000 t/yr of manganese . By Fumito Nagase Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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BYD's EV ambitions challenge fuel demand outlook

14/09/26

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14/09/26

BYD's EV ambitions challenge fuel demand outlook

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