MMi Daily Iron Ore Report (September 12)

Rio Tinto has commissioned a pilot carbon capture unit at Shougang Group's Jingtang steel base in China, capturing CO2 directly from blast furnace gas. It can treat up to 3,000 cubic metres of blast furnace gas per hour, targeting up to 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year in the trial phase. The start-up marks a milestone under a 2022 MoU to develop low-carbon technologies across ironmaking and steelmaking. Blast furnaces are primary steelmaking's biggest emissions source, so point-source capture is a transitional option while DRI and green hydrogen scale up. The trial will produce data on solvent performance, energy use and gas pre-treatment, helping assess commercial CCUS retrofits across China's steel sector. Miners facing Scope 3 pressure see direct trials with steelmakers as key to protecting long-term high-grade iron ore demand.

Algoma Steel said its August power outage problems are resolved as it prepares to start up a second electric arc furnace (EAF) in Q4. Third-quarter shipments are seen at about 131,500 tonnes, down from 164,600 tonnes in Q2, with a projected loss of 10-20 million USD, narrowing from the 96 million USD Q2 loss that came with a record 113,400 tonnes of plate. Trump tariffs have driven Algoma to shift its customer base from the US to Canadian shipbuilding, defence, major projects and energy extraction. CEO Rajat Marwah said a replacement turbine at Lake Superior Power is installed and all electrical equipment on EAF Unit Two has been tested, with first heat expected within days. The first EAF started earlier this year.