Germany produced over 1.1 million tons of refractories in 2024 2025-02-08

Feb. 6, 2025 - With a production of over 1.1 million tons, Germany covers nearly a third of Europe's refractory production. Around 70% of these materials are exported – a testament to the highest quality and worldwide trust. Refractories also makes a key contribution with innovative solutions used in a wide range of high-temperature processes, ensuring maximum efficiency and safety. Throu…

Ghana's bauxite bonanza: missing out on a titanium treasure trove 2025-02-08

Feb. 8, 2025 - Ghana sits on a significant wealth of bauxite, the primary ore of aluminum. Large deposits are located in the Atiwa Forest (Eastern Region), Nyinahin (Ashanti Region), and Awaso (Western North Region), with Awaso boasting of the longest operational history, dating back to Ghana's independence. While this bauxite represents a considerable asset, Ghana is potentially missing ou…

South Korean steel industry on edge as Trump revives tariff plans 2025-02-07

Feb. 6, 2025 - U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Jan. 6, “If I hadn’t imposed massive steel tariffs, there wouldn’t be a single steel plant left in America.” Later, on Jan. 31, he announced plans to impose tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper, emphasizing the need to protect these industries. As Trump reiterates plans to impose steel tariffs, concerns are mounting within South Ko…

Chrome train derailment in Mozambique shuts Ressano Garcia line 2025-02-07

Feb. 6, 2025 - Rail traffic on Mozambique’s Ressano Garcia line in Maputo province came to a standstill this week following the derailment of a train in the Chinculo area. According to the local police in Maputo province, the freight train, which was transporting chrome ore, was travelling from Ressano Garcia to Maputo with 50 wagons, six of which derailed on Sunday, blocking the line. …

EUROFER downgrades EU apparent steel consumption expectations in 2025 2025-02-07

Feb. 6, 2025 - The European Steel Association EUROFER has revised its forecast for apparent steel consumption in the EU in 2025, lowering the expected growth to +2.2% from the previous +3.8%. This reflects the ongoing difficulties in the sector amid global economic uncertainty, high energy costs and rising imports. According to EUROFER’s latest forecast, the recession in Europe’s appar…

Indian mining records strong growth in production of key minerals 2025-02-06

Feb. 4, 2025 - The production of key minerals, such as iron ore, manganese and aluminium, in the country has continued to witness strong growth during the first nine months (April-December) of FY 2024-25, after reaching record production levels in FY 2023-24, the Ministry of Mines said on Monday. As per provisional data, production of iron ore, which accounts for 69 per cent of the tota…

Jamaica’s alumina exports surge, but trade challenges persist 2025-02-06

Feb. 5, 2025 - Jamaica’s alumina exports increased by 25.9 per cent to US$447.3 million during the first nine months of 2024, helping to mitigate significant declines in other export categories. This growth contributed to a 17 per cent rise in overall export revenue from the mining and quarrying sector, which reached US$500.7 million, according to data from the Statistical Institute of…

U.S. steel shipments down 3.6% YoY in 2024 2025-02-06

Feb. 5, 2025 - The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that for the month of December 2024, U.S. steel mills shipped 7,145,016 net tons, a 0.9 percent increase from the 7,082,921 net tons shipped in December 2023. Shipments were up 6.6 percent from the 6,702,557 net tons shipped in the previous month, November 2024. Shipments for the full year 2024 are 86,130,780 net t…

Ukraine’s steel sector looks abroad after loss of critical Donbas coal mine 2025-02-06

Feb. 5, 2025 - Ukraine’s steel producers are now looking abroad to stay alive after the closure of the country's last operating coking coal mine in Pokrovsk last month. Miners were working up until Jan. 13 when the Metinvest Group, the mine’s owner, halted production completely and evacuated employees as Russian troops advanced on Pokrvosk in Donetsk Oblast. The Pokrvosk mine was the la…

Slovakia reduced steel production by 11.7% YoY in 2024 2025-02-05

Feb. 4, 2025 - In 2024, Slovakia’s steel industry reduced steel production by 11.7% compared to 2023, to 3.9 million tons. Thus, the country ranked 36th in the global ranking of steel-producing countries (71), while in 2023 it was 34th, according to World Steel. Slovakia has two steel mills: US Steel Kosice, with a capacity of 5 million tons of steel per year, and Max Aicher Slovakia Stee…

China hits back at US tariffs with mineral export curbs 2025-02-05

Feb. 4, 2025 - China unveiled a series of retaliatory measures against the United States on Tuesday, including restrictions on the export of five critical metals used in defence, clean energy, and other industries. The move comes in response to President Trump’s announcement on Friday of a blanket 10% additional tariff on Chinese imports. Beijing’s new export controls target tungsten, te…

Turkey increased steel exports by 27.6% YoY in 2024 2025-02-05

Feb. 4, 2025 - Turkey increased steel exports by 27.6% YoY in 2024 – to 13.4 million tons. This is evidenced by data from the Turkish Steel Association (TCUD), Güneş reports. In December last year, this figure increased by 16% compared to the same period in 2023 – up to 1.3 million tons. Steel imports in 2024 amounted to 17.4 million tons (+1.7% YoY). In December, the country increase…

Saudi Arabia, India agree to strengthen critical minerals partnership 2025-02-05

Feb. 4, 2025 - Saudi Arabia and India agreed on Tuesday to strengthen cooperation in the critical minerals sector, as New Delhi seeks to accelerate its green energy transition. Critical minerals, such as lithium, copper and rare earth, are essential raw materials required for clean energy technologies, used in wind turbines, electric vehicles, battery manufacturing and to help deve…

China’s new steel production method cuts time, carbon emissions 2025-02-04

Feb. 4, 2025 - For centuries, steel production has involved a slow and energy-demanding process. It begins with iron ore, which is crushed, turned into pellets, and heated to over 1,300°C before being placed in a blast furnace with coke, a refined coal product. The heat and carbon from the coke extract iron from the ore, producing molten iron, which is then further processed to create stee…

South African mining sector grapples with 12,000 job losses amid price pres… 2025-02-04

Feb. 4, 2025 - The South African mining industry remained under pressure in 2024 as lower non-gold commodity prices resulted in lower profitability among miners and caused some 12 000 job losses, Minerals Council economist Hugo Pienaar said. Speaking at the Investing in African Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town on Monday, Peinaar said the sector was also impacted by logistic sector pro…