Petroleum coke
Overview
Used in the manufacturing of metals, for power generation and in the production of numerous other products including glass, paint and fertilizers, petcoke is widely used. As the energy transition drives markets around the world to search for ways to reduce carbon emissions, the outlook for Petroleum coke remains uncertain.
Gain transparency into the evolving international petcoke markets with weekly and monthly prices, expert analysis and global market-moving news for fuel-grade and anode-grade petroleum coke.
Latest petroleum coke news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global petcoke industry.
Brazil’s cement sales inch up in Jan-Sep
Brazil’s cement sales inch up in Jan-Sep
London, 17 October (Argus) — Brazil's cement sales recorded modest growth in the first nine months of the year, as steady infrastructure activity and resilient employment offset pressure from high interest rates and rising household debt. Cement sales in January-September rose by 3pc on the year to 50.3mn t, supported by stable demand in urban development and public works, Brazil's National Cement Industry Union (SNIC) said. The country's historically low unemployment rates and high consumer confidence also contributed to a healthier construction market. Cement sales reached 6.1mn t in September, up by 4.6pc from a year earlier. But high borrowing costs and tight credit conditions continued to weaken Brazil's real estate sector, the main driver of cement consumption in the country. New construction project launches in Brazil fell by 7pc in the second quarter, while the government's Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) housing programme declined by almost 16pc over the same period. And the number of units financed through the Brazilian Savings and Loan System (SBPE) construction credit system dropped by 55pc in the January-August period because Brazil's high benchmark Selic rate raised borrowing costs and slowed the availability of housing finance. Still, cement demand is expected to increase by about 2pc on the year in 2025 under a baseline scenario, with growth likely concentrated in Brazil's housing and infrastructure segments, SNIC said. The government plans to further support the MCMV housing scheme, which could add 2.5mn-3mn t of annual cement demand through 2026 and help address Brazil's estimated deficit of 6mn housing units. New mortgage credit models and a national housing renovation programme could also inject roughly 20bn reals ($3.7bn) into Brazil's real estate market, providing additional support. These measures aim to sustain construction financing, despite limited savings inflows and high funding costs. Clinker imports reach multi-year high As cement sales rise, some Brazilian cement plants have boosted clinker imports. January-September clinker imports rose to 732,600t, the highest volume since 2015 and up from 614,200t in the same period last year, customs data compiled by Global Trade Tracker (GTT) show. Egypt was Brazil's top supplier during the period at 198,000t after first beginning shipments to Brazil in April 2024. Brazil also imported 102,700t of clinker from Pakistan over the same period. The country first shipped clinker to Brazil in April. And deliveries from Algeria doubled year on year to 98,200t in January-September. But clinker imports from Turkey dropped by almost 8pc on the year to 141,900t. By Alexander Makhlay Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EU carbon policy prompts industry fuel shifts
EU carbon policy prompts industry fuel shifts
Washington, 7 October (Argus) — Heavy industries like cement, steel and aluminium that have traditionally relied on carbon-intensive fuels like petroleum coke are increasingly seeking replacements as the EU moves into the next phase of its carbon pricing regimen in 2026, delegates heard at the Argus Global Coke and Carbon Conference. Although the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) has been in place since 2005, companies in emissions-heavy sectors were initially provided free allowances in proportion to their production. But free allowances are set to be phased out starting next year, meaning companies will now have to pay for up to 20-30pc of their emissions, which "creates urgency for the first time", Javelin's head of biomass Thomas Meth said at the conference in Washington, DC, late last month. ETS credits are currently in the €70s/t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e). There is also a steep reduction in free allowances to zero by 2035, and a target of 62pc emissions reduction by 2030. This target means the carbon price is expected to rise to €150/t of CO2e by 2030, DYM's Yury Burenko said. European companies have been preparing for the regulations for several years by increasingly substituting fossil fuels like coke and coal with alternative waste fuels. The European cement industry is already using 65pc alternative fuels, Ciplan's procurement manager Rodrigo Santana told the conference. Cement companies are also investing in plant efficiency and replacing energy-intensive clinker production with other cementitious materials like fly ash, slag and calcined clay. But another key new development starting next year is that the bloc is set to begin the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to apply these costs to producers outside the EU that seek to supply imports. This is contributing to increased interest in emissions reduction from plants in countries outside of the EU, like Japan. Japanese steel producers are testing options to replace pulverized coal injection (PCI) coal in their production process with options like biocarbon, a fuel made from wood, Meth said. This fuel contains 25-32 MJ/kg (5,975-7,648 kcal/kg), 3-8pc moisture, 60-95pc fixed carbon and 45-55 HGI. But the biocarbon production supply chain is early in its development, with Javelin expecting to bring the production infrastructure online by the fourth quarter, complete trial volumes of 200-20,000t in the first half of next year and produce 50,000t/yr by the end of 2026, depending on customer commitments. The CBAM policy's aim of leveling the playing field for European producers could be coming too late for the steel industry, however, which had by 2024 lost almost 56mn t/yr of crude steel production capacity since 2008 and 21mn t/yr since 2019, director of market analysis and economic studies for the European Steel Association Eurofer Alessandro Sciamarelli told the conference. This was in part because of higher energy prices and overall production costs compared with other major steel making regions. The steel market in Europe appears to be becoming a structural net importer for finished steel products as it has been in a widening deficit for the past eight years, a trend which will not necessarily reverse with the implementation of CBAM. Although the rising cost of carbon emissions may lead some companies to reduce their petroleum coke consumption, the lower heat content of many alternative waste fuels and the high cost of biomass-based fuels, will also support demand for coke compared with other high-emissions fuels like coal. Coke not only has a high calorific value (CV) that can boost efficiency of lower CV waste products, but it is typically available at a lower cost than coal. Coke will be the last fuel we substitute, one Turkish cement maker said on the sidelines of the conference. Petroleum coke is also a valuable source of carbon for applications that require this element. While biocarbon can be used to make higher fixed carbon products for metallurgical industry uses, the cost "is not linear — it's an exponential curve", Meth said. Javelin plans to create a biocarbon petroleum coke blend at its facility in Alabama. By Lauren Masterson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EAM, P66 sign US graphite anode coke supply deal
EAM, P66 sign US graphite anode coke supply deal
London, 29 September (Argus) — Indian chemical manufacturer Epsilon Advanced Materials (EAM) has signed a supply agreement with US refiner Phillips 66 to purchase anode-grade green petroleum coke and calcined needle coke for its planned graphite anode facility in the US. The deal will supply coke — a key feedstock for producing synthetic graphite anodes for lithium-ion batteries — from Phillips 66's 264,000 b/d Lake Charles refinery in Louisiana to EAM's planned 30,000 t/yr large-scale graphite anode plant in North Carolina. "This collaboration is a major step in building a secure and sustainable battery materials supply chain for the US," EAM's managing director Vikram Handa said last week. EAM's plant, which will cost around $650mn, is expected to start production in 2027, the company said, marking a delay from its previous plans to begin in 2026 . EAM plans to expand output at the plant to 60,000t/yr by 2030 in order to supply US battery manufacturers and automotive original equipment manufacturers with enough graphite anode material for about 1mn electric vehicles annually. EAM also received a non-binding $420mn letter of interest (LOI) from the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM) in July, which could help to advance its plans to establish a domestic battery materials supply chain. The LOI is under EXIM's Make More in America initiative, which focuses on diversifying battery-grade graphite supplies. EAM was among the US' active anode material producers pushing for a 93.5pc anti-dumping duty on all anode-grade graphite products imported from China that was announced on 17 July. EAM is also expanding internationally by developing a 50,000 t/yr graphite anode plant in Vaasa, Finland, in partnership with Finnish Minerals Group, and a 100,000 t/yr anode battery materials manufacturing plant in Karnataka, India. By Alexander Makhlay Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Turkey lifts 4pc tax on US coke imports
Turkey lifts 4pc tax on US coke imports
London, 23 September (Argus) — Turkey on Monday terminated retaliatory tariffs on a range of US imports — including a 4pc tax on petroleum coke. This may increase US coke's competitiveness against coke and coal from other origins. The government's removal of the US coke import duty, imposed in 2018 , has already pushed cement makers in Turkey to seek new offers and restart negotiations for spot trades. But the full impact of the change will likely not become clear until the coming weeks as buyers are initially focused on tenders to be held this week from domestic refiners Tupras and Socar. After these tenders conclude, "many factories will start researching prices for petcoke supply," a cement maker said. And although the tax cut could theoretically reduce bids for domestic coke, "I expect there will be good demand and high premiums in this week's tenders," a trader said. Buyers in Turkey remain cautious about quick changes as they have been unable to secure "workable" prices for US coke over the past few months. The 4pc tax cancellation is probably "not enough to attract more interest immediately" since US coke import prices are more than 4pc above where Turkish buyers would normally find them competitive with domestic coke and seaborne coal, but it will help it better compete with these alternatives, a trader explained. The Turkish government also removed a 5pc tax on US coal, according to a market participant, which could in theory make this fuel more competitive as well. But Turkish buyers are likely to still favour NAR 6,000 kcal/kg Russian coal, which has been pricing at relatively low levels for months. Cfr Turkey mid-sulphur coke prices reached a 2pc premium to NAR 6,000 kcal/kg cif Turkey Supra plus coal, mainly comprised of Russian supply, on a heat adjusted basis this month for the first time since early April , pushing cement firms to buy more Russian coal or smaller cargoes of domestic coke. The 6.5pc sulphur dry basis cfr Turkey price is now at a 1pc discount to coal, while typically buyers look for about a 20pc discount. At the start of the week, indicative offers of high-sulphur coke from the US were at $102-103/t cfr Turkey against bids below $100/t cfr. Coal prices increased slightly late last week to $83.10-93.75/t, depending on cargo size, mainly because of higher freight rates. But this coal is still holding an advantage against US coke. Offers for non-US coke origins that were not subject to import duties in Turkey, like Spanish, Russian, Venezuelan and Mexican coke, may now become less competitive as US coke will become 4pc less expensive, market participants said. By Alexander Makhlay Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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