[Primetals Completes Modernization of thyssenkrupp Steel’s Duisburg Slab Caster]

Domestic iron ore concentrates prices in China showed mixed performance this week. By region, prices edged down by 1-5 yuan/mt in Tangshan, Qian'an, and Qianxi in Hebei; were basically stable in Chaoyang, Beipiao, and Jianping in western Liaoning; and rose by 5-10 yuan/mt in east China. Looking ahead to next week, the cost-performance of domestically produced iron ore is expected to remain at a disadvantage, and the price spread between domestic and imported ore is expected to continue narrowing under steel mill regulation. On the supply side, the willingness to hold prices firm eased somewhat.

Libya has ordered a major state-owned steelmaker in Misrata to suspend production as the country faces worsening electricity shortages. The producer will halt its production lines and connect its captive power plant to the national grid to ease pressure during a period of high electricity demand. No timetable has been announced for restarting steel production. The company has an annual liquid steel design capacity of about 1.7 million tonnes and produces long and flat steel products, semis and hot briquetted iron.

Vietnam’s Hoa Sen Group has launched Hoa Sen Mag Shield, a zinc-aluminum-magnesium alloy-coated steel produced using continuous hot-dip coating technology. The company said the product offers three to five times greater corrosion and rust resistance than conventional galvanized steel, while its coating hardness is approximately twice as high. It also provides a self-healing protective effect around cut edges and drilled areas, targeting applications including steel structures, warehouses, solar mounting systems, transport infrastructure and buildings, particularly in coastal and highly corrosive environments.