【Australian Premium Hard Coking Coal Prices Rise 25% in January–July, Squeezing Indian Steel Margins】

Primetals has completed the modernization of thyssenkrupp Steel’s slab caster in Duisburg, Germany, separating the previously combined casting and rolling line into an upgraded slab caster and a modernized hot strip mill. The revamped caster has an annual capacity of 2.3 million tonnes and can produce 257 mm-thick slabs in widths of 900-1,800 mm. New automation and dry-casting technologies are designed to improve melt shop capacity utilization and slab logistics while reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs.

Price Adjustment for Construction Steel in the 8-3rd Period (2026): Rebar and wire rod remain unchanged; current rebar at 3,300 yuan/mt, plain wire rod at 3,550 yuan/mt, and coiled rebar at 3,550 yuan/mt; compensation for the 8-2nd period: rebar 110 yuan/mt and wire rod 145 yuan/mt; monthly discount rate for electronic bank acceptance in this period: first and second-tier banks 0.47‰, provincial city commercial banks 0.57‰, and third and fourth-tier banks 0.77‰. [SMM Steel]

Canadian mining company Strategic Metals released a scoping study and Preliminary Economic Assessment for its Division Mountain project on 20 August. The project contains a measured resource of 52.5 Mt of High Volatile “B” Bituminous coal and envisages an open-pit mine producing 0.5 Mt/y of clean coal, together with either one 100 MW or two 50 MW coal-fired power plants serving Yukon’s isolated power grid. At the proposed production rate, the measured resource could supply a 100 MW plant for approximately 105 years, although the preliminary mine and power plant designs are based on a 30-year operating life. The project has an estimated total capital cost of $978.6 million, while clean coal could be produced and delivered at an average cost of $52/t. Under the base case, an electricity sales price of approximately $194/MWh would be required to generate an after-tax IRR of around 8% at an 8% discount rate. With full carbon taxes, the required sales price would rise to $292/MWh. The project remains at a preliminary assessment stage, with no construction permits, financing arrangements, power purchase agreement or commissioning schedule disclosed.