Displaying items by tag: European Union

World: Global steel production was 1.86Bnt in 2020, down by 1% year-on-year from 1.88Bn in 2019. The decrease is the first since 2015. The sharpest declines were recorded in the US (17%), Japan (16%), the EU (12%) and India (11%). Chinese steel production rose for a sixth consecutive year to 1.05Bnt, up by 5% from 1.00Bnt. The rest of the world produced 811Mt, down by 8% from 879Mt. China’s share of world steel production rose to 57% from 53%.

World: Crude steel production grew by 4.9% year-on-year to 925Mt in the first half of 2019 from 882Mt in the same period in 2018. Data from the World Steel Association shows production increased in Asia and North American, remained stable in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region but that it fell in the European Union. Of the larger individual steel producing countries gains were reported in China, India and South Korea, but declines were noted in Germany and Japan.

France: ArcelorMittal has discussed the role of slag in the circular economy at a recent media event in Paris. Alan Knight, head of corporate responsibility, described how steel plays a key role in the circular economy, at a time when the European Union is debating its Circular Economy Package, which includes revised legislative proposals on waste. He detailed a number of projects at ArcelorMittal that are using waste created during the steelmaking process including turning steelmaking slag into agricultural fertiliser as well as making bioethanol to fuel aeroplanes from waste gases created during the steelmaking process.

“At ArcelorMittal we are active in being involved in a number of different partnerships that look to more fully utilise and exploit the potential from re-using by-products and waste gases. We are fully supportive of the concept of carbon capture and utilisation and convinced that this offers an important long-term opportunity for the reduction of CO₂,” said Knight.

Key topics discussed at the event included the effects of Chinese steelmaking overcapacity upon the European industry. David Clarke, ArcelorMittal’s head of strategy and chief technology officer, said that imports of steel are effectively ‘swallowing’ up a slow increase in European steel consumption since the market crash in 2009. However, Europe Flat Products chief executive officer Geert Van Poelvoorde added that the European steel industry could prosper under the right legislative framework.

France: Holcim will sell its slag grinding plant in Dunkirk as part of divestments required by the European Commission (EC) to approve its merger with Lafarge.

The European Union's antitrust authority has required asset sales by both companies in regions where their activities overlap. The EC's approval is conditional upon the divestment of Lafarge's businesses in Germany, Romania and the UK. Holcim is required to divest its operations in France, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and the Czech Republic. The proposed transaction concerns assets worth several billion Euros and will create the world's largest cement producer, with operations in 90 countries.

"The Commission had concerns that the transaction, as originally notified, would have had a detrimental effect on competition in a significant number of markets in the European Economic Area (EEA)," said the EC. "The commitments offered by the two companies address these concerns."

According to the EC, its assessment found that the merged entity would have faced insufficient competitive pressure from the remaining players in many markets. This would have brought a risk of price rises. In order to prevent a negative impact on competition, the companies have committed to divesting most of the operations where their activities overlap. Further, the EC said that Holcim and Lafarge will not be allowed to close the deal until it has approved the buyers of the assets put up for sale.