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INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY
Erection of the 457-foot furnace reactor tower for HBI project at Cleveland-Cliffs.
US iron ore producer Cleveland-Cliffs has revealed additional information regarding the status of the company‘s new hot-briquetted iron (HBI) facility under construction in Toledo, Ohio. CEO Lourenco Goncalves confirmed that Cleveland-Cliffs‘ new HBI plant is scheduled to begin production in the first half of the year. The company plans to price its HBI using US pig iron imports as a point of reference, with the goal to eventually replace imports with a US-made product.
WTO: Trade restrictions at historically high levels Trade restrictions by WTO members continue at historically high levels. Between mid-October 2018 and mid-October 2019, the trade coverage of import-restrictive measures implemented by members was estimated at $747 billion. This is the highest trade coverage recorded since October 2012 and represents an increase of 27% compared to the figure recorded in the previous annual overview ($ 588 billion). WTO’s report notes that new trade restrictions and increasing trade tensions added to the uncertainty surrounding in-
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ternational trade and the world economy. The main sectors targeted by the new import restrictions were mineral and fuel oils (17.7%), machinery and mechanical appliances (13%), electrical machinery and parts thereof (11.7%) and precious metals (6%).
thyssenkrupp considers sale of plantbuilding activities thyssenkrupp has started testing the waters for a potential sale of its Plant Technology unit. „We have started addressing the market, sending comprehensive information kits to parties interested,“ said CFO Johannes Dietsch at a conference call, noting that the kit requires a declaration of confidentiality from the receiver. Group CEO Martina Merz pointed out that the group is trying several options simultaneaously „We have learned thinking in different scenarios. This may be confusing to observers, but for us the result is best when we ave more than one option, as the successful sale of Elevator Technology has shown,“ she said. The unit builds coking plants for steelmakers, for example for ArcelorMittal’s Tubarão works in Brazil. Other activities are plants and
services for the cement, chemicals and fertiliser industries, as well as materials conveying machinery for the mining industry. In the last fiscal year, it achieved a revenue of €2.8 billion.
Liberty Steel lines up €2 billion in European Liberty Steel has announced plans to invest €2 billion in its Continental Europe business, following its acquisition of the plants last summer. In doing that, the group puts „ a clear focus on carbon neutrality by 2030,” said Sanjeev Gupta, Executive Chairman of Liberty Steel parent GFG Alliance. The expenditure will cover the Romanian unit Liberty Galaţi with a €1 billion investment programme over ten years for major upgrades to its casters, rolling mills and coating lines, as well as plans to install an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) to significantly reduce emissions and its dependency on imported natural resources, the group says. At Ostrava in the Czech Republic, a €750 million 10year investment programme will allow the business to install new hybrid steelmaking technology - a first in Europe – and start a major modernisation of its rolling mills. Liberty also plans a €100m investment at its Liege-Dudelange works,
March 2020 / MPT International
Source: Business Wire
Cleveland-Cliffs details new HBI facility
