[SMM Steel] El mercado de exportación de la India se mantiene firme, pero los envíos a Europa de septiembre enfrentan presión por las cuotas

The federal and South Australian governments last year committed 1.6 billion USD (2.4 billion AUD), since raised to about 1.9 billion USD (2.9 billion AUD), to rescue the Whyalla steelworks and fund a green steel future. Last week's confirmation that the blast furnace cannot be saved, though painful for the 500 current employees, shifts focus to that future. Whyalla is among Australia's last integrated iron and steel operations; losing the furnace removes domestic ironmaking capacity and deepens reliance on imported semi-finished steel. The bet rests on hydrogen-based direct reduced iron and electric arc furnace capacity, backed by public funding, renewable power and magnetite ore. Supporters argue the transition is worth the cost; critics doubt green steel can compete on cost.

Raghav Productivity Enhancers (RPEL) has incorporated RPEL TRLK Silicatech Private Limited at Jharsuguda, Odisha, an 80:20 JV with TRL Krosaki Refractories Limited (TRLK). The JV will build a 350,000-tpa silica ramming mass plant at an initial outlay of about 11.4 million USD (1 billion INR), funded by debt and equity. The site adjoins India's largest steel and refractory cluster; feedstock comes from TRLK's captive quartzite mines at Chhuinpali while RPEL supplies patented processing technology and earns IP royalties. The project lifts RPEL's existing group capacity of 534,000 tpa by 65.5%. Its subsidiary won two 20-year Indian patents in September 2026. RPEL's FY26 standalone turnover was 29.2 million USD; Q1 FY27 net profit rose 67.55% y-o-y to 2.22 million USD on revenue up 48.72% to 9.88 million USD.

China's steel slowdown is sharpening the outlook for iron ore demand and dry bulk flows. CISA is urging mills to restrain output, signalling softer steel demand; SMM notes the call is non-mandatory but could still curb feedstock buying. Pre-holiday restocking lifted purchases, with Australian shipments to China up 6.2% w-o-w in the third week of September. Only 7.8% of blast-furnace mills were profitable in mid-September, favouring cheaper Australian ore amid high coke prices, while shorter Australian voyages may cut ton-mile demand. Worldsteel sees global steel demand up 0.3% this year to 1.724Bt and 2.2% in 2027 to 1.762Bt. Australia holds about 29% of global iron ore reserves and produces over 940Mt a year, with China taking more than 84% of shipments. Canada ranked eighth at 70Mt in 2024.