[ Nakayama Steel Works Partners with Hanwa and Yodoko for New EAF Project ]

JFE Steel successfully produced approximately one metric ton of reduced iron using 100% green hydrogen at a 15 kg/hour pilot plant in its East Japan Works. The trial, backed by Japan's NEDO Green Innovation Fund, marks a critical technical milestone for the country's decarbonization efforts by proving that iron ore can be stably reduced without fossil fuels in preparation for commercial direct hydrogen reduction implementation.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that US domestic raw steel production for the week ending August 1 increased slightly by 0.6% to 1.870 million net tons. The capacity utilization rate hit 81.0%, bringing the year-to-date output to 55.510 million net tons, which represents a 5.8% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.

Ukraine's PJSC Zaporizhcoke, a major metallurgical coke producer, reported that its blast furnace coke output dropped by 15.3% month-on-month to 63.4 thousand tonnes in July 2026. The 19.6% year-on-year decline was primarily attributed to constraints in coal concentrate supplies caused by the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports following Russian attacks on merchant vessels. For the first seven months of 2026, the Metinvest subsidiary's total coke production stood at 497.75 thousand tonnes, a 2.9% decrease compared to the same period last year.