Generic Hero BannerGeneric Hero Banner
Latest Market News

Liberty temporarily idles operational Galati furnace

  • Spanish Market: Metals
  • 17/10/23

Liberty Steel has taken its only operational blast furnace at Galati in Romania off line.

"Liberty Galati's BF No 5 has been temporarily idled due to the severe weather in the Black Sea and the dramatically low levels of the Danube which have impacted the delivery of enough raw materials to safely run the furnace," a company spokesperson said.

"We continue to pay employees working in impacted areas as normal and will restart the furnace later this month."

Sources suggested it was scheduled to restart on 24 October.

There has been chatter about the operational rate of the furnace, and the company's other unit at Ostrava in the Czech Republic, for some months. When Liberty closed the largest of the coke ovens at its Ostrava site in September, sources close to senior leadership said it was contemplating idling its EU blast furnaces because of strained working capital.

The company has been importing Russian and Indonesian slab through trading firms and its Alvance arm recently, as it had reduced blast furnace output. Alvance China also has been used to finance raw materials for its Whyalla plant in Australia and the European operations, sources suggest.

A number of local suppliers suggest they are owed money by Galati, according to media reports.

Ostrava's suppliers also have complained that the company is behind on payments. Asked whether this was correct in April of this year, Liberty told Argus that the European steel market was "experiencing challenging conditions".

Since then, Argus' benchmark daily northwest EU hot-rolled coil (HRC) index has fallen from €834.25/t to €612.50/t, a decline of €221.75/t. Over the same period, spreads between NW HRC and key blast furnace raw materials have dropped from $514/t to $174/t, a reduction of $340/t. Capacity utilisation also has plummeted, eroding economies of scale. European strip producers are operating at 50-60pc utilisation rates, which are lower than last year, when a number of furnaces were idled because of low apparent demand.


Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

10/02/25

Noboa's tight lead triggers runoff in Ecuador

Noboa's tight lead triggers runoff in Ecuador

Quito, 10 February (Argus) — Ecuador will hold a second-round presidential election on 13 April after incumbent President Daniel Noboa had a closer-than-expected lead over his main challenger in Sunday's election, the electoral authority said. Noboa had 44.5pc of votes as of 11:30pm ET on Sunday, closely followed by Luisa Gonzalez, the candidate for the Citizens' Revolution party with 44.1pc, with 80pc of votes counted, the national electoral council (CNE) said. Ecuador's presidential election goes to a second round if the winning candidate does not have more than 50pc of votes or 40pc of votes with a 10-percentage point lead over the runner-up. Gonzalez' party was founded by exiled former president Rafael Correa, a close friend and supporter of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Correa guided taking on crude-backed loans from China during his term and oversaw a rewrite of the constitution, allowing him to serve for 10 years. Gonzalez in brief comments said she was optimistic about winning the second round, while Noboa did not speak publicly. This is the first time since 2006 that the candidate with Correa's party did not win at least the initial round of a presidential race. Pachacutik candidate Leonidas Iza was in third place with 4.8pc of votes. His party is the political arm of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) that led an 18-day national strike in June 2022, cutting Ecuador's crude production by 17pc that month. The remaining 13 candidates obtained about 6.6pc of the valid votes. About 13.7mn Ecuadorians were required to appear at the polls. Voting is mandatory in the South American country, but only around 85pc actually voted. Ecuadorians also voted for 151 members of the national assembly. Gonazalez' party and Noboa's National Democratic Action party are forecast to win the biggest shares, but officials results will not be known for several days. By Alberto Araujo Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Nippon to invest in, not buy, US Steel: Trump


07/02/25
07/02/25

Nippon to invest in, not buy, US Steel: Trump

Pittsburgh, 7 February (Argus) — US President Donald Trump said today Nippon Steel has agreed to invest in US Steel instead of buying the company outright. "Nissan is going to be doing something very exciting about US Steel. They'll be looking at an investment rather than a purchase," Trump said today at a news conference in Washington with Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba. Trump likely mistakenly referred to Tokyo-based Nippon Steel by the name of the Japanese car company. Although the White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification, Nissan confirmed to Argus that it does not have plans to invest in US Steel. Trump's predecessor Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel's proposed $15bn takeover bid of Pittsburgh-based US Steel last month, citing national security concerns. Both men were adamant on the campaign trail that US Steel should not be owned by a foreign company. "We didn't want to see [US Steel] leave. It wouldn't actually leave. But the concept psychologically — not good," Trump said. Nippon Steel will provide technology to make steel in the US in a mutually beneficial deal, Ishiba said about the proposal. Trump said he would soon meet with Nippon Steel to work out the details of the investment. By James Marshall Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Japan’s domestic EV sales extend fall in January


07/02/25
07/02/25

Japan’s domestic EV sales extend fall in January

Tokyo, 7 February (Argus) — Japanese domestic sales of passenger electric vehicles (EVs) fell for a 15th consecutive month in January, but the decrease rate has slowed. Sales totalled 4,563 units in January 2025, down by 2pc from a year earlier, according to data from three industry groups — the Automobile Dealers Association, the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association and the Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA). Sales were also down by 12pc on the month. Domestic EV sales continued to fall on the year but the decrease rate slowed in January, marking the first single-digit fall on the year since November 2023. EVs accounted for 1.4pc of Japan's total domestic passenger car sales in January, down by 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier. The decline is mostly because of weaker demand for domestic brand EVs including Toyota. Toyota's EV sales declined sharply to 68 units, down by 74pc from a year earlier. Foreign brand EV sales continued its uptrend, according to JAIA's representative who spoke to Argus . Sales of foreign brand passenger EVs increased by 3.6pc on the year to 1,209 units, marking the third consecutive month of year-on-year growth. But sales from China's BYD fell sharply by around 80pc on the year to 42 units, mostly on the back of delivery suspensions, JAIA added. Imported EVs accounted for around 26pc of Japan's total domestic EV sales. This was largely stable on the year, but down by 31 percentage points from a month earlier. Foreign brand manufacturers tend to increase their sales in December, according to JAIA, leading to relatively lower deliveries in January. By Yusuke Maekawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Sherritt raises Ni, Co output guidance for 2025


06/02/25
06/02/25

Sherritt raises Ni, Co output guidance for 2025

Houston, 6 February (Argus) — Canadian mining and metal producer Sherritt International raised its output guidance for nickel and cobalt metal for 2025. The company anticipates producing between 31,000 and 33,000 metric tonnes (t) of nickel and 3,300 to 3,600t of cobalt in 2025. This compares with the 30,331t of finished nickel and 3,206t of cobalt produced in 2024, both of which were within the annual guidance range. Last year was a challenging year for Sherritt because of natural disasters and power infrastructure challenges in Cuba, but the company remains well positioned to navigate current market conditions and maintain competitiveness despite Chinese-driven supply pressures, according to president and chief executive Leon Binedell. Output in 2025 will be supported by improved availability of mixed sulphides from the Moa mine site in Cuba to the refinery. Production is expected to be weighted towards the second half of the year. "We continue to advance key strategic initiatives including our mixed hydroxide precipitate project targeting the North American electric vehicle market," Binedell added. By Carol Luk Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US Li salts imports dropped in 2024


06/02/25
06/02/25

US Li salts imports dropped in 2024

Houston, 6 February (Argus) — The US imported 16,170 metric tonnes (t) of lithium salts in 2024, down by 11pc from the prior year, driven by inventory destocking and a slower-than-expected adoption of electric vehicles. Price declines and limited shelf-life prompted US importers to consume lower stocks, while a shift towards lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries led to a change in preference for lithium carbonate. Imports of lithium oxide and hydroxide fell by 25pc to 705 tonnes in 2024, while lithium carbonate imports decreased by 10pc to 15,465 tonnes, according to the US Census Bureau. Lithium hydroxide is primarily used in the production of high-energy-density batteries, while lithium carbonate is more commonly utilized in the manufacture of LFP batteries. Argus -assessed prices for 99.5pc grade lithium carbonate fell by 31pc over 2024, reaching $9.1-9.4/kg cif China on 31 December. Chile and Argentina accounted for 98pc of the material, supplying 9,105t and 6,779t, respectively. By Carol Luk Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Generic Hero Banner

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more