[SMM Sheets & Plates Daily Review] Sheets & Plates Expected to Stay Sideways in the Short Term

[Turkey] On the domestic front, effectively buoyed by the continuous rally in domestic rebar prices, local steel billet prices remained firm, with domestic quotes rising by 5 USD/tonne to 550 USD/tonne ex-works. In contrast, the import market fell into a supply-demand tug-of-war. Supported by strengthening coking coal costs and robust domestic demand in major exporting nations (such as China and India), overseas sellers showed strong resolve to raise prices. Offers for Chinese resources climbed to 515–520 USD/tonne CFR, significantly slowing the pace of procurement. The primary reason buyers are staying on the sidelines is that Turkish mills had already secured a concentrated 250,000 to 300,000 tonnes of billet cargoes from China, India, and Malaysia in August. With extremely ample short-term spot reserves, buyers are expected to lack the appetite to chase high prices, bringing overall import trading to a near standstill.

Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara province plans to convert six small coal-fired power plants on Lombok and Sumbawa islands into solar facilities. Proposed by state utility PT PLN, all conversion plans remain under technical assessment, with no implementation timetable established. The initiative excludes larger facilities such as the Jeranjang power plant in West Lombok. Separately, the provincial Energy and Mineral Resources Office said PLN had identified approximately 1.73 GW of renewable-energy potential, mainly solar and wind; this figure does not represent the capacity of the proposed replacement projects. Land availability remains the main obstacle, and development will require cooperation with investors.

Indonesia’s Kideco has deployed 18 electric mining trucks at its East Kalimantan mining operations, supported by three battery swapping stations. The project is being implemented with invi, an Indika Energy subsidiary, following trials that began in 2024 and an initial deployment of six trucks during March–July 2026. According to the article’s main text, the electric trucks are projected to reduce energy consumption by up to 50% and operating costs by around 30% compared with the diesel fleet. The project could improve mine transport efficiency, but these reductions remain projections.