Page 15 - Steel Industry

Fitch Ratings upgrades ratings on Tata Steel to 'BBB-' with stable outlook

Fitch Ratings on Monday said it has upgraded its ratings on domestic steel player Tata Steel Ltd (TSL) to 'BBB-' with a stable outlook. It has also upgraded the rating on USD 1 billion notes issued by Tata Steel subsidiary ABJA Investment, the rating agency said in a statement. "Fitch Ratings has upgraded India-based Tata Steel Limited's (TSL) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to 'BBB-', from 'BB+'. The Outlook is Stable. We have also upgraded the rating on the USD 1 billion notes due July 2024 issued by TSL's subsidiary, ABJA Investment Co. Pte. Ltd., and guaranteed by TSL, to 'BBB-', from 'BB+'," it added. The upgrade follows a revision in the company's stand-alone credit profile (SCP) to 'bb+', from 'bb', on the reduction in uncertainty and financial risk from its UK operations. In the UK, TSL will replace its blast furnaces with more cost-efficient and environment-friendly electric arc furnace (EAF)-based steelmaking capacity. Consequently, we expect the UK operations' cost ...

Indian steel companies plan price rises as coking coal costs surge

Steel mills are likely to raise rates by $25 to $50 a metric ton by December, said the officials, who did not wish to be named as they are not authorised to speak to media

Steel pipes manufacturer JTL Industries' sales grow 54% in Apr-Sept

Steel pipes manufacturer JTL Industries has posted 54.66 per cent growth in sales at 1.59 lakh tonne (LT) for April-September period of the ongoing fiscal year. The company has also registered 56.78 per cent rise in sales volumes at 81,686 tonne in July-September, JTL Industries said in a regulatory filing. The firm attributed the surge in sales numbers to robust demand for structural steel tubes and pipes in both domestic and international markets. While sales in the first half of FY23 was 1.02 lakh tonne, sales in the second quarter of that fiscal was 52,101 tonne, the filing said. Sales of value-added products rose to 60,708 tonne in H1 FY24 from 40,221 tonne in H1 FY23. "This quarter we recorded our highest ever quarterly sale volume over Q2 FY23 period reflecting the continued patronage from our domestic and international clients. We also achieved a significant milestone by recording our highest-ever H1 sales volume demonstrating a robust growth rate. Our international sales

Key infra sector growth rises to 14-month high of 12.1% in August

The expansion in August is the highest since June 2022, when it was 13.2 per cent

Scindia discusses ways to incentivise green steel production, decarbonising

Union Steel Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia held a meeting with five task forces and discussed a range of issues, including incentivising green steel production and financing options for decarbonising the industry. Key stakeholders, industry experts, and government officials attended the meeting to discuss ways to achieve sustainability and decarbonisation in steel production on Thursday, the Ministry of Steel said in a statement on Friday. The meeting was also attended by Steel Secretary Nagendra Nath Sinha, chairpersons of the five task forces and other senior officials. "Held a fruitful discussion with 5 of our 13 task forces. Defined a roadmap to tackle inevitable challenges through a multi-pronged approach, including renewable energy uptake, skill development, incentives, and potential pathways for decarbonisation," the minister said. The task force on finance, led by Sunil Mehta, the Chief Executive of Indian Banks' Association, provided valuable insights into financing optio

Steel scrap availability to be challenging as 60 nations plan to ban trade

Availability of scrap is going to be challenging as more than 60 countries have either banned or are in the process of banning scrap exports, Steel Secretary Nagendra Nath Sinha said. The secretary also highlighted the lower usage of scrap in steel making in India and said that the usage is not meeting the government's expectations for bringing carbon emissions down. The government has been pushing domestic players to increase the share of scrap in steel manufacturing. "Unlike the Western countries, India's scrap usage in steel making is lower. India had availability of around 25 to 27 MT of scrap and going forward this number will certainly go up, but not as much we would like to for our carbon emissions to come down," Sinha said on Thursday. The availability of scrap is going to be challenging as over 60 countries have either banned or are in the process of banning the export of scrap, he said addressing the 'mjunction Indian Steel Markets' conference here. Another issue, Sinha

India to set emission reduction mandates, start carbon trading from 2025

Companies which exceed their targets earn carbon credits that can be sold to firms which fall short of their goals

Emissions from Tata Steel's Dutch plant reduce life expectancy: Research

The Dutch government, which commissioned the research, said in a statement that living conditions around the plant - on the country's North Sea coast - have to be improved

Steel firms prep for festivals, see demand by auto, consumer goods sectors

Bookings by the two industries 20% higher ahead of the festive season compared to last year, says one expert

Steel output grows 5% in Jan-Jun; trend to continue in 2nd half: SteelMint

India has produced 66.14 MT crude steel in January-June 2023, registering a 5 per cent year-on-year growth and the uptrend is likely to continue in second half of the year as well, according to SteelMint. The domestic industry had produced 63 million tonnes (MT) crude steel in the January-June period of 2022, the research firm said. The increase in production was mainly on account of improved capacity utilisation rates coupled with the ramping up of capacities by key Indian steel players, it said. According to SteelMint these factors will continue to support the growth in production in the second half of the ongoing year, SteelMint added. The domestic steel consumption also registered an 11 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) increase to 58.4 MT in the first half of 2023, from 52.7 MT in the same period of 2022. Steel exports took a hit of 30 per cent during the period under review, as China increased its outbound shipments of steel. "India's steel exports dropped to 4.74 MT in H1 from

Govt meets steel industry to discuss readiness to comply EU's carbon tax

Top officers of government and industry representatives from the steel sector on Wednesday held discussions on implementation issues regarding the European Union's move to impose carbon tax, sources said. The meeting was called by the commerce ministry and was chaired by Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal. Senior officials from ministries of Finance, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Power, Steel and Mines participated in the meeting besides the steel and engineering sector. They also said that India and the EU would soon decide on a schedule to discuss the matter during the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting. The meeting was a follow-up of a similar meeting held in May where the industry was asked to be ready for the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). The Wednesday's meeting comes amid the CBAM being implemented by the European Union (EU), which would have an adverse impact on India's exports of metals such as iron, steel and aluminium product

Centre monitoring steel import situation as China shipments touch 5-yr high

India is monitoring the import situation on steel after shipments from China touched a five-year high in the first four months

Vizag Steel Plant logs highest monthly sales of value-added steel in Aug

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) or Vizag Steel Plant logged its best ever monthly sales of value-added steel products in August since inception at 1.57 lakh tonne, said an official on Saturday. In August, the steel plant sold 99,000 tonne of rounds (steel variety), which is the best ever sales milestone for this variety, and also logged similar performances in the sale of wire rod coils (79,000 tonne), rebars (2 lakh tonne) and structurals (46,000 tonne). "The sales volume of 1,57,000 tonne of value-added steel achieved in August 2023 by RINL is the best ever monthly sales of value-added steel sales for any month since inception," said the official in a press release. Including value-added steel products, Vizag Steel Plant achieved overall sales of Rs 2,502 crore in August 2023, which is 39 per cent higher than Rs 1,806 crore logged in the corresponding period last year. Besides August highlights, the steel plant located in the port city of Visakhapatnam achieved the highest ...

Govt likely to extend export benefits under RoDTEP scheme for pharma, steel

The government is expected to extend export benefits under the RoDTEP scheme to iron and steel, chemicals and pharmaceutical sectors beyond September 30, according to a senior official. In December 2022, the government extended the benefits under the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) Scheme to chemicals, pharmaceuticals and products of iron and steel till September 30 this year. "As exports are not doing good for the last few months, there is a demand to extend it for about six months till March 2024. It is under consideration. We may extend it," the official said. These three sectors were late entrants into the scheme that aims to refund duties, taxes and levies at the central, state and local level that gets added to the cost of products meant for exports. This scheme is a replacement for the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) which ended last year. At present, over 10,342 export items get the RoDTEP benefits. The incentive is paid in the for

Co-monitoring mechanism for steel exports between India, US at final stage

India and the US are in the final stages of setting up a joint monitoring mechanism to enable domestic exports of certain steel and aluminium products to America without paying extra duties, an official said. Indian exports of these products attract additional duties in the US as Washington, in 2018, imposed a 25 per cent import duty on steel products and 10 per cent on certain aluminium products on grounds of national security. In retaliation, India in June 2019 imposed additional customs duties on 28 American products. During the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June, the two countries decided to remove trade irritants and as part of that both sides agreed to end six trade disputes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). They have mutually resolved those six disputes and India has decided to remove additional duties on eight US products, including chickpeas, lentils and apples, which were imposed in 2019. The US, on its part, has agreed to provide greater market access to

Proposals formulated for 2nd edition of PLI, will take time: Steel secy

Steel Secretary Nagendra Nath Sinha on Thursday said the ministry has formulated proposals in consultation with the industry for second edition of the PLI scheme but its implementation would take "some time" as a few processes, including Cabinet nod, are pending. The Union Cabinet in July 2021 approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost the production of specialty steel in India. "We have formulated proposals for PLI 2 and need approval of the government for this. It may take some time. The proposal we have formulated has been done in consultation with all players of the industry and if we take it up, we expect a good response," Sinha said on the sidelines of an industry event in Greater Noida. "I cannot commit any time frame for this right now because a lot of processes, like the proposal being sent to powered group of secretaries and then to the Cabinet for approval, are due and it will take some time," the Steel Secretary told reporters. He was in Greater Noid

Govt committed to addressing concerns of stainless steel industry: Minister

The central government is committed to addressing concerns of the stainless steel industry, Union Minister of State for Steel Faggan Singh Kulaste said on Thursday. The stainless steel industry has urged the government to address issues surrounding the export-import regulations to boost the sector's growth. "The central government is committed to looking after the concerns Stainless steel's recyclability is a key factor in its sustainability," Kulaste said, while virtually addressing the inauguration of the maiden India Stainless Steel Expo (ISSE) 2023 being held in Greater Noida. "With the help of stainless steel, we can conserve natural resources, reduce energy consumption, minimise waste and contribute to a more sustainable and eco-friendly future," Kulaste said. The Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA), the organiser of the three-day event, said that consumption of stainless steel in India has grown nearly 10 per cent over the past financial year to reach 4 ..

India's core sector output rises to five-month high of 8.2% in June: Govt

The government revised the final growth rate of the index of eight core industries for March 2023 to 4.2%

BHP expects Indian steel industry's boom to boost its coal business

Around 40% of BHP's metallurgical coal, used by steel mills and known as coking coal, is now heading to India, chief commercial officer Vandita Pant told FT

Steel TMT rebar prices cool off to 2-year low, trend to continue: Report

The prices of TMT rebars -- a key requirement for infrastructure projects -- are trading at 24-month low levels and the trend is expected to continue for the next few quarters, SteelMint said. Rates of TMT bars produced through blast furnace (BF) route have touched Rs 51,400/tonne level and rebars manufactured through induction furnace (IF) are trading at Rs 47,493 a tonne, the research firm said. The latest prices were registered on July 23. Such level for TMT bars produced via BF route was last witnessed in August 2021 when the rate of rebar was Rs 51,625 per tonne. While IF made rebars were priced at Rs 47,041/tonne in July 2021, SteelMint data showed. Since then the prices have maintained an upward movement to reach their all-time high levels -- Rs 72,880 per tonne (BF route) in April 2022 and Rs 68,418 per tonne in March 2022, it said. A SteelMint analyst cited slowdown in demand on account of inflationary pressures as the main reason for fall in prices. "Steel exports from