Sources said that steel manufacturing entities in northern Europe are unlikely to seek price increases on hot rolled coil until July, despite events since May that could create conditions to raise them. “If you do that, you seem very opportunistic,” one source told MetalMiner. Mills were seeking €630-650 ($675-695) per metric ton EXW in late […]
Anglo American Rejects £39 Billion Offer from BHP, Citing Regulatory Risks
Australian mining multinational BHP recently abandoned its bid for London- and Johannesburg listed Anglo American after the target company rejected the latest offer. “While we believed that our proposal for Anglo American was a compelling opportunity to effectively grow the pie of value for both sets of shareholders, we were unable to reach agreement with […]
Liberty Steel’s $70 Million Hungarian EAF Project Raises Questions Amid Financial Strains
Steel manufacturing giant Liberty Steel recently signed a contract with Chinese engineering company CISDI, finalizing a feasibility study to build an electric arc furnace at the Dunaújváros plant in Hungary. Steel production estimates state that the facility would have an annual crude capacity of 1.5 million metric tonnes. According to a May 16 announcement by […]
GFG Alliance Explores Co-Investment and Divestment Options for Liberty’s Belgian, Luxembourg, and Italian Plants
Liberty Steel recently triggered a review of its downstream flat rolling assets in Western Europe. The firm’s parent company, GFG Alliance, said the potential steel industry shakeup stems from an expression of interest from several interested parties. “The review will evaluate Liberty’s assets in Liège (Belgium), Dudelange (Luxembourg), and Piombino (Italy) and will be facilitated […]
AngloAmerican Announces Divestment of Coal, Platinum, Nickel, and Diamonds to Focus on Core Businesses
AngloAmerican plans to divest several assets under its plans to simplify its portfolio, including coking coal. The move follows the company’s 2023 asset review, but also serves to rebuff a takeover takeover bid from Australia’s BHP. “Each asset was assessed for competitiveness and performance optimization potential and for its role in the portfolio,” AngloAmerican said […]
Liberty Steel Reviews Future of Scunthorpe Merchant Bar Plant
Steel manufacturing giant Liberty Steel recently began consultations with unions on mothballing its merchant bar producer, Liberty Merchant Bar (LMB), in Scunthorpe. “This decision comes after a thorough review of strategic options and the challenging external conditions, especially the lack of local feedstock supply that has affected the plant’s viability,” Liberty’s parent company, GFG Alliance, […]
Anglo American Rejects $38.8 Billion BHP Takeover Offer
Metals markets recently saw UK metal and mining multinational Anglo American reject a £31.1 billion ($38.8 billion) takeover bid from Australia’s BHP. Meanwhile, shareholders in the latter company continue to urge an increase in the offer price. On April 26, London- and Johannesburg-listed Anglo American’s board of directors unanimously rejected BHP’s unsolicited, all-share offer made […]
British Steel’s Ambitious Decarbonization Plan Gets the Green Light
In an April 2 announcement, steel industry leader British Steel stated that the Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council recently approved new equipment following a detailed consultation on its decarbonization project. British Steel originally announced its plans to replace the furnaces at Scunthorpe and Teesside in September under plans that would see the steelmaker cut its […]
ThyssenKrupp Responds to Market Turbulence with Bold Production Cuts
Germany flats producer ThyssenKrupp Steel (TKS) recently announced plans to cut its production capacity by an average of 19.5%, citing current market conditions as the main reason. Indeed, the European steel industry continues to face a wide range of challenges, including economic challenges and surging energy costs. “The aim is to make ThyssenKrupp Steel fit […]
Will the Taiwan Earthquake Impact Semiconductor Production?
Reports indicate that the earthquake that struck Taiwan on April 2 is unlikely to create either supply or manufacturing difficulties for Taiwan semiconductors (microchips), which could subsequently impact the auto sector and steel prices. “I haven’t heard about any impact on the industry due to the earthquake,” one steel trader told MetalMiner. The seismic incident registered 7.2 on […]