Mills seeking PCI alternatives build Russian stockpiles
Russian suppliers of coking coal and pulverised coal injection (PCI) have continued to ship large amounts to European buyers on a term basis, after global sanctions against Russia, most importantly an EU ban on coal imports, lowered the value of Russian spot sales to other destinations.
New purchases of Russian coal are illegal in the EU as of 9 April. But Russian deliveries to Europe were significantly delayed over the whole of 2021, meaning that there is a significant backlog in contracts, allowing buyers to take large quantities before deliveries from Russia become illegal in early August. A swift improvement in rail transport to Russian Baltic ports over the past few weeks has made more Russian material available to European mills, while Russian suppliers will prefer where possible to ship term volumes priced largely on fob Australia indexes, than to make spot sales outside of Europe at significant discounts.
Recent Russian sales of coking coal and PCI to Turkey have been priced at around $300/t delivered, a supplier said. Most term contracts are based at least in part on fob Australia indexes, which have risen to new highs in recent months. Argus' daily fob Australia assessment for low-volatile PCI averaged $402.80/t in February-April.
Mills are expected to use stockpiles of Russian and Australian low and mid-volatile PCI as a source of stable supply of known qualities, while testing alternative grades that were also purchased at the start of the war in Ukraine, largely from the US. As a result, European discharge ports are congested, mostly by Russian thermal coal, but also with coal of several origins, including Russian, bound for steel mills. The US shipped 1.67mn t of metallurgical coal to the EU in March, the highest since June 2019, while Australia shipped 1.51mn t in the same month, trade data show. Market participants have indicated that Russian deliveries to Europe, particularly of PCI, are now proceeding at a higher rate than normal.
Hydrogen may replace PCI in Europe
While European mills will have access to Australian and Canadian PCI in the future, these origins will increasingly lack the capacity to supply the global market, with blast furnace capacity in Asia expected to rise over the coming years, and as buyers increasingly close the door on Russian coal. Japan will gradually phase out Russian coal imports, while global steelmaker Tata, which has mills in India, the UK and the Netherlands, will halt business with Russia. And major Australian producer BHP's plans to divest 10mn t of annual PCI capacity are likely to weigh on overall supply.
Alternatives include lower-grade PCI coals, requiring a higher rate of coke usage, and coking grade coals, which are likely to be used only to a limited extent owing to problems with blast furnace wall pressure.
Ultimately, the conflict and the consequent sanctions on Russia are likely to accelerate the process of hydrogen replacing PCI, at least in Europe. Several major European steelmakers aim to move towards carbon-free or low-carbon steelmaking over the next decade, and to install hydrogen electrolysis capacity over the same period. German steelmakers Thyssenkrupp and Dillinger-SHS have respectively tested the use of hydrogen and of hydrogen-rich coke oven gas as alternatives to PCI.
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Australia’s Pilbara Mining sees continuing Li demand
Australia’s Pilbara Mining sees continuing Li demand
Singapore, 19 April (Argus) — Australian mining firm Pilbara Minerals' sees continuing lithium demand from its customers, while the firm continues to focus on cost optimisation. Pilbara in March accepted a pre-auction offer of $1,106/dry metric tonne (dmt) for 5,000dmt of 5.5pc-grade lithium concentrate (spodumene) cif China. The price equates to approximately $1,200/dmt 6pc-grade lithium concentrate (spodumene) cif China, said Pilbara, which reflects the "ongoing demand and positive pricing for unallocated production volume". "When you look at the past 60 days up to mid-April, the increases [in lithium prices] are fairly material," said the firm's managing director and chief executive Dale Henderson during the latest quarterly earnings call, adding that the recent uptick in lithium pricing is "comforting". Argus -assessed prices for 6pc-grade lithium concentrate (spodumene) held stable at $1,100-1,200/t cif China on 16 April from a week earlier, rebounding from an all-time low of $850-1,050/t on 27 February. But a standoff has more recently formed between spodumene producers and lithium refineries, with the former maintaining their offer prices and consumers rejecting them. Pilbara's spodumene realised price in January-March fell by 28pc on the quarter to $804/dry metric tonnes (dmt) cif China, despite the average grade of spodumene shipments rising by 0.1 percentage point to 5.3pc, which translates to $927/dmt for 6pc-grade lithium concentrate (spodumene). But the realised price during the quarter remained above its unit operating cost of $519/dmt cif China, which fell by 1pc on the quarter. Pilbara's ending cash balance came in at A$1.8bn ($1.15bn) as at 31 March, down from A$2.1bn a quarter earlier. Output Pilbara's output during January-March rose by 2pc on the quarter and by 21pc on the year to 179,000dmt. The output was propped up by a record monthly production of over 80,000dmt in March, partly because the P680 primary rejection facility reaching its nameplate production capacity in the second half of the quarter. But its chief operating officer Vince De Carolis said the peak performance should not be construed as an annualised run rate. The firm said it is not stockpiling its production volume as it sees "ongoing customer demand". Pilbara's spodumene sales volumes rose by 3pc on the quarter and by 14pc on the year to 165,121dmt for an average 5.3pc grade. Pilbara earlier in February defended its lithium downstream strategy and last month signed a binding agreement with Chinese refiner Ganfeng to carry out a joint feasibility study as they explore building a downstream conversion plant. The two firms are exploring building a lithium hydroxide and/or lithium carbonate conversion plant with 32,000 t/yr of lithium carbonate equivalent capacity, alongside a potential intermediate lithium chemical facility in the country. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Coal sales at Australia’s Whitehaven fall in Jan-Mar
Coal sales at Australia’s Whitehaven fall in Jan-Mar
Sydney, 19 April (Argus) — Australian coal miner Whitehaven reported higher production but lower sales in January-March, with the firm increasing its percentage of high-grade thermal coal sales from the previous quarter. Saleable coal volumes rose by 8pc on the year to 3.9mn t but managed coal sales fell by 7pc to 3.8mn t compared to a year earlier. Sales were 83pc high-grade thermal, higher than 72pc in October-December and 68pc a year earlier. Whitehaven said run-of-mine production at Narrabri was below expectations because of the current panel's geological challenges, leading to reliability and maintenance problems with equipment. Whitehaven's overall sales guidance for the 2023-24 fiscal year remains unchanged at 16mn-17.5mn t for 2023-24 with a unit cost guidance, excluding royalties, of A$103-113/t ($66-$72/t) which the firm said is tracking at the top end. This is because of lower output from Narrabri, which is tracking below its output guidance of 5.1mn-5.7mn t for the fiscal year to 30 June. Whitehaven finalised takeovers of Australian-Japanese joint venture BHP Mitsubishi Alliance's (BMA) 12mn t/yr Blackwater and 4mn t/yr Daunia coking and thermal coal mine in Queensland on 2 April, with initial sales and production data to be reported in its April-June production report. The two mines are anticipated to deliver 4.5mn-5mn t run-of-mine output in April-June, with Whitehaven's revenue breakdown to be 70pc metallurgical and 30pc thermal on an annual basis post-acquisition as it seeks to pivot toward coking coal. Blackwater and Daunia contributed 10.11mn t and 4mn t respectively to BMA's total output in 2023. Whitehaven plans to sell down a 20pc stake in Blackwater to global steel producers, with a process presently underway. Whitehaven views the high calorific value (CV) thermal coal market as well supported in its key Asian markets, and said tightening of sanctions on Russian exporters is containing global supply. India's continuing growth is driving demand and underpinning price sentiment, Whitehaven said, despite a softening in metallurgical coal prices during the quarter . The Argus high-grade 6,000 kcal/kg NAR price averaged $126.74/t fob Newcastle and the 5,500 kcal/kg NAR coal price $93.85/t during January-March, compared with $134.23/t and $96.80/t respectively for October-December. By Tom Major Whitehaven quarterly results Jan-Mar '24 Oct-Dec '23 Jan-Mar '23 Volumes (mn t) Managed coal production 3.9 4.2 3.6 Managed coal sales 3.8 4.7 4.1 Managed coal stocks at period end 1 1.5 1.5 Coal sales mix (%) High-grade thermal coal 83 72 68 Other thermal coal 8 19 26 Metallurgical coal 9 9 6 Prices achieved ($/t) 136 142 280 Thermal coal 136 142 280 Metallurgical coal 213 166 234 Source: Whitehaven Australian coal price comparisons ($/t) Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
ISRI rebrands to ReMA, drops scrap from name
ISRI rebrands to ReMA, drops scrap from name
Las Vegas, 18 April (Argus) — The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has rebranded to the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA). The new name and rebrand better reflect the evolution within the recycling industry and its member companies, ReMA said at the group's annual convention and exposition in Las Vegas today. Washington, DC-based ReMA represents recycling industries including ferrous and nonferrous metals, electronics, glass, paper, plastics, textiles and tires and rubber. It is a member-driven trade organization that provides advocacy, education, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycled materials play in the US economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. ISRI was formed in 1987 when the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel merged with the National Association of Recycling Industries. Over the last 35 years, the association has seen tremendous growth in size and diversity of its membership, particularly in electronics, consumer brands and EV battery sectors. The trade association has around 1,700 member companies across the US and other 40 countries. By Brad MacAulay Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Canada furthers investment in GHG reductions
Canada furthers investment in GHG reductions
Houston, 18 April (Argus) — The Canadian government plans to have C$93bn ($67.5bn) in federal incentives up and running by the end of the year to spur developments in clean energy technology, hydrogen production, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) along with a new tax credit for electric vehicle (EV) supply chains. The Canada Department of Finance, in its 2024 budget released on 16 April, said it expects to have the first planned investment tax credits (ITCs), for CCUS and renewable energy investments, in law before 1 June. The ITCs would be available for investments made generally within or before 2023 depending on the credit. The anticipated clean hydrogen ITC is also moving forward. It could provide 15-40pc of related eligible costs, with projects that produce the cleanest hydrogen set to receive the higher levels of support, along with other credits for equipment purchases and power-purchase agreements. The government is pursuing a new ITC for EV supply chains, meant to bolster in-country manufacturing and consumer adoption of EVs with a 10pc return on the cost of buildings used in vehicle assembly, battery production and related materials. The credit would build on the clean technology manufacturing ITC, which allows businesses to claim 30pc of the cost of new machinery and equipment. To bolster reductions in transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the government will also direct up to C$500mn ($363mn) in funding from the country's low-carbon fuel standard to support domestic biofuel production . Transportation is the second largest source of GHG emissions for the country, at 28pc, or 188mn metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent, in 2021. But the province of Alberta expressed disappointment at the pace of development of ITC support that could help companies affected by the country's move away from fossil fuels. "There was nothing around ammonia or hydrogen, and no updates on the CCUS ITCs that would actually spur on investment," Alberta finance minister Nate Horner said. The incentives are intended to help Canada achieve a 40-45pc reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, relative to 2005 levels. This would require a reduction in GHG emissions to about 439mn t/yr, while Canada's emissions totaled 670mn in 2021, according to the government's most recent inventory. The budget also details additional plans for the Canada Growth Fund's carbon contracts for a difference, which help decarbonize hard-to-abate industries. The government plans to add off-the-shelf contracts to its current offering of bespoke one-off contracts tailored to a specific enterprise to broaden the reach and GHG reductions of the program. These contracts incentivize businesses to invest in emissions reducing program or technology, such as CCUS, through the government providing a financial backstop to a project developer. The government and developer establish a "strike price" that carbon allowances would need to reach for a return on the investment, with the government paying the difference if the market price fails to increase. CGF signed its first contract under this program last year , with Calgary-based carbon capture and sequestration company Entropy and has around $6bn remaining to issue agreements. To stretch this funding further, the Canadian government intends for Environment and Climate Change Canada to work with provincial and territorial carbon markets to improve performance and potentially send stronger price signals to spur decarbonization. By Denise Cathey Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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