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☆ Hydrogen is elemental to U.S.-EU green compromise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Heated trade tensions could cool if the United States and the European Union make concessions on hydrogen. Right now, 99% of the near 100 million tonnes of annual commercial hydrogen output comes from old-fashioned fossil fuel energy sources. By 2030, the International Energy Agency envisages over 175 million tonnes of global production, with 35% coming from green hydrogen. Both Europe and the United States understand the role green hydrogen can play in decarbonising tricky areas like heavy industry and steelmaking. Yet Europe needs to import the same amount again as the 10 million tonnes it aims to produce domestically by 2030.

☆ UK scientists found a way to slash nearly 90% of carbon emissions from the country's steel industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Now, researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed a process to clean up the most carbon-intensive part of the steelmaking process: blast furnaces. Currently, coking coal and iron ore are fed into furnaces and heated to sky-high temperatures to create liquid iron, which is then refined into steel. About 70% of steel used around the world for buildings, cars, and household appliances is made this way. For every metric ton of steel produced, nearly two metric tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, according to the World Steel Organization. Kildahl described it as a "closed-loop" system that captures and recycles carbon dioxide to trigger the chemical reactions that convert iron ore into steel.

Steel producers are estimated to produce 7-9% of all harmful emissions, according to the World Steel Association. Boston Metal makes parts for cells in which electricity splits iron ore, creating liquid iron and no byproducts or emissions apart from oxygen. "What is the point of having an electric car running on a battery and carrying dirty steel?" ArcelorMittal's investment marks a shift in steel companies' willingness to invest in the technology since Boston Metal first went out looking for funding in 2018, Carneiro said. Now all the steelmaking companies are very interested in following what we are doing because they need a solution."

☆ Businesses, not governments, will need to lead the transition to clean energy, executives say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Josée Rose | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The transition to clean energy isn't a choice, executives told Insider. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. Motsinger said the move to sustainable business practices, infrastructure, supply chains, and products couldn't wait for the government to mandate such moves. Fitzgerald added that it's key to develop trust among all sides so that businesses could roll out new technology. Once we have safe, reliable, and affordable options in those areas, Fitzgerald said attention might turn to areas considered harder to decarbonize — processes like steelmaking, cement production, and construction.

☆ Steelmaking Is Trying to Make Itself Greener and Researchers May Have Found a Way
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Steelmaking is one of the most carbon-intensive industries in the world, but researchers may have found a way to make it greener. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Sustainable Business A weekly look at environmental, social and governance issues and strategies for corporate decision makers. The system essentially creates a closed loop where the carbon split using the perovskite is put back into the system. “After five years, this system would save the U.K. steel industry £1.28 billion [equivalent to $1.57 billion], while reducing UK-wide emissions by 2.9%,” Ms. Kildahl said. For example, H2 Green Steel in Sweden is looking to cut carbon emissions by using hydrogen as a fuel source.

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The premium of high-grade thermal coal over coking coal in Asia is shrinking as China's re-opening and ending of a ban on imports from Australia powers a rally for coking coal, a key steelmaking ingredient. Newcastle thermal coal futures have traded above coking coal contracts since June 1 last year - something that had not occurred previously in the history of the two contracts. At the same time, coking coal prices weakened as steel production outside China softened while the global economy simultaneously tried to deal with an energy crisis and the accompanying surge in inflation. Thermal coal vs coking coal pricesAUSTRALIA EXPORTSIt's worth noting that the end of Beijing's unofficial ban on coal imports from Australia has yet to show up in any meaningful way in China's imports, although there are signs that coking coal flows will resume. This raises the possibility that coking coal prices will continue to rally, while thermal coal prices may soften as the northern winter ends.

☆ China's coal imports from Russia fall in Dec, but up 20% in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - China's coal imports from Russia dropped in December as logistics issues and inclement winter in Russia curbed shipments and Chinese demand weakened amid surging COVID infections. Some 6.89 million tonnes of Russian coal reached China last month, down from 7.16 million tonnes in November, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Friday. Arrivals of Indonesian coal were 17.53 million tonnes last month, down from 20.04 million tonnes in November. During the January-December period, China's imports totalled 170.71 million tonnes, down 12.6% from 2021. The customs data on Friday showed no coal imports from Australia in December.

☆ Analysts expect this under-the-radar global carbon capture stock to soar by up to 65%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shares of Norway-based Aker Carbon Capture could rise by 65%, according to analysts, as demand increases for emissions reduction technology. Aker Carbon Capture builds carbon capture and storage (CCS) plants in an effort to lower emissions from industrial cement and steelmaking plants. The company's latest innovation, revealed last week, would cut the energy needed to capture carbon and improve the company's profitability in the future, according to analysts at Berenberg. Berenberg analysts said Aker's stock could also move following an expected announcement from the U.K. to build carbon capture plants. Aker Carbon Capture's ADRs are also traded on the OTC markets in the U.S.

☆ German hard coal importers able to replace Russian supply -industry body
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Traders have found new focal points: United States, South Africa and Colombia," industry association VDKi said in a statement. Between January and October 2022 Russia still accounted for a leading 34% of hard coal volumes imported by Germany, data presented by VDKi showed. That reflected Russia's role as a major supplier before the EU introduced a ban on Russian coal imports last August amid sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Hard coal imports into Germany last year amounted to 43 million tonnes, 4.7% more than recorded in 2021, preliminary VDKi data also showed. Out of the total, 30 million tonnes were steam coal for electricity plants, up 11.7% year-on-year, and 11 million tonnes were coking coal for steelmaking, down 7.3%.

[1/3] A general view of hydrogen electrolysis plant called 'REFHYNE', one of the world's first green hydrogen plants, during a launch event at Shell's Rhineland refinery in Wesseling near Cologne, Germany, July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Thilo SchmuelgenLONDON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The green hydrogen express is gathering pace, but it may have a worrying problem with leaks. At least four studies published this year say hydrogen loses its environmental edge when it seeps into the atmosphere. The United States included billions of dollars of green hydrogen tax credits in its Inflation Reduction Act and the European Union approved 5.2 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in subsidies for green hydrogen projects in September. While potential leakages of hydrogen are not expected to be on a scale that could derail all green hydrogen plans, any seepage would erode its climate benefits, they say.

☆ Britain approves first new coal mine in decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Britain on Wednesday approved its first new deep coal mine in decades to produce the high-polluting fuel for use in steelmaking, a project that critics say will hinder the UK's climate targets. The majority of the coal produced is expected to be exported to Europe. Greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal — such as in steel and power plants — are the single biggest contributor to climate change, and weaning countries off coal is considered vital to achieving global climate targets. Earlier this year, the chair of Britain's independent Climate Change Committee, John Gummer said the Woodhouse project was "absolutely indefensible". Britain, the cradle of the industrial revolution, once employed 1.2 million people at nearly 3,000 collieries.

☆ UK government greenlights first new coal mine in three decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The UK has greenlit a controversial plan to open the country’s first new coal mine in three decades, a little more than a year after the nation tried to convince the world to ditch coal at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow. Committee chairman Lord Deben said in a statement: “Phasing out coal use is the clearest requirement of the global effort towards Net Zero. We condemn, therefore, the Secretary of State’s decision to consent to a new deep coal mine in Cumbria, contrary to our previous advice. This decision grows global emissions and undermines UK efforts to achieve Net Zero.”The mine’s approval was also met with fierce criticism from scientists and environmentalists. Its opponents argue these jobs may not be secure, given the huge momentum in Europe to phase out coal.

[1/2] Protesters chant slogans at a news conference in support of the ongoing strike by truckers in Seoul, South Korea December 5, 2022. As supplies of fuel and construction materials run low, the South Korean government has stepped up pressure to end the strike. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), an umbrella union under which the truckers' union falls, has called the President's "start work" order the equivalent of martial law and says the government should negotiate. As of Monday afternoon, nearly 100 petrol stations had run out of fuel. That is up from the 21 petrol stations that the industry ministry had said were out of fuel on Nov. 28.

[1/5] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Daewoung KimSEOUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday ordered preparations for widening a back-to-work order beyond the cement industry amid a prolonged truckers' strike. Thousands of South Korean truckers have been on strike for more than 10 days, with negotiators for the government and unions making no progress on disagreements over minimum pay rules. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, an umbrella group, is planning a general strike for Tuesday. The government has said it would not expand a minimum pay system for truckers beyond a further three years.

Gary Works, still one of the largest steel mills in the U.S., employs 4,000 people and has 7.5 million net tons of annual raw steel capability. Big River Steel recently installed a slushie machine to help employees cool off. But the algorithms deployed at Big River can’t plug and play in other mills, according to Christian Holliday, senior director of Digital Studio and Big River Steel Integration at U.S. Steel. Bandwidth is notoriously poor in environments like steel mills that are full of concrete and steel. The Big River acquisition hasn’t provided a one-size-fits-all template for modernization at U.S. Steel’s older plants.

☆ Australian battery metal players key to South Korea's EV ambition
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Australia will play a big role in South Korea's ambition to lead the electric vehicle batteries market and diversify from China for its battery metals needs, a top South Korean executive said on Wednesday. In recent years, U.S. allies have moved to reduce their dependence on China amid heightened concern about Beijing's control over the critical minerals sector. South Korea needs critical mineral supplies, having pledged to become a battery manufacturing powerhouse by 2030 as part of a plan to be carbon-neutral by 2050. POSCO last year entered into a joint venture deal with Pilbara Minerals Ltd (PLS.AX) to build a 43,000 tonne lithium hydroxide chemical facility in Gwangyang, South Korea. The Australian government should offer similar incentives so the country can be a leader in global hydrogen exports, he said.

☆ Iron-Ore Prices Buckle as China Property-Market Slump Drags On
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Rhiannon Hoyle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Autonomous trucks haul iron ore at Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri mine in Western Australia, where vast mining operations contribute more than half the world’s exports of the steel ingredient. ADELAIDE, Australia—Iron-ore prices have slumped to a three-year low as a sharp slowdown in Chinese homebuilding combines with Beijing’s zero-Covid strategy to sap demand for the steelmaking commodity. The benchmark price of iron ore—one of the world’s most-traded commodities—fell by 17% in October from September to end the month more than 50% below its 2022 high, which was set in March.

☆ India's October iron ore exports 'nearly zero' - mining body official
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Neha Arora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He said Beijing's strict COVID-19 curbs would also impact India's iron ore shipments. China's steel production could fall in winter, dampening the demand for iron ore, Sharma said. Low-grade ores comprised 92% of India's total iron ore exports. India's iron ore exports during the first five months of the current fiscal year that began in April totalled 6.97 million tonnes, a three-year low, data compiled by FIMI showed. Local iron ore prices in India have dropped, partly due to lower demand, said a spokesperson for state-run miner NMDC Ltd.

☆ Steel Companies’ Profits Hurt by Falling Prices
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Bob Tita | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill in Cleveland; the company is the largest U.S. supplier of steel to the auto industry. Steel prices in the U.S. have fallen to the lowest level in two years, shrinking steel companies’ profits but giving manufacturers hope for lower material costs. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., United States Steel Corp., Nucor Corp. and Steel Dynamics Inc. reported significantly lower profits from their steelmaking operations during the quarter that wrapped up at the end of September, compared with the same period last year when prices were at record levels.

☆ BHP Group, ArcelorMittal trial carbon capture at Europe, US steel plants
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoLONDON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - BHP Group (BHP.AX) is teaming up with steelmaker ArcelorMittal (MT.LU) and two others to test a new technology to reduce carbon emissions in steel making at two plants in Belgium and North America. By discharging over 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, the steel industry accounts for 7-9% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. BHP's partnerships, for example, also include one with India's Tata Steel (TISC.NS), which uses biomass as a source of energy. "There isn't a silver bullet, there isn't one path or technology for low-carbon emissions in steelmaking," Pant said. "We are covering many different technologies and geographies with these partnerships ... to enable lower GHG emissions steel and support the reduction of carbon intensity in blast furnaces," Pant said.

☆ S.Korea's POSCO Holdings sees steel demand remaining weak; Q3 profit tumbles
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Joyce Lee | Heekyong Yang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s POSCO Holdings on Monday forecast weak steel demand would persist into the first half of next year after a price slump and a production halt at its second-biggest plant led to a 71% fall in third-quarter operating profit. FILE PHOTO: The logo of POSCO is seen at the company's headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, July 20, 2016. The fall in earnings comes as global steel demand is weakening amid surging inflation, interest rates and a property market slump in China, the world’s biggest steel market. Global steel demand is expected to grow by about 1% next year, while demand in South Korea is expected to remain flat, POSCO said. The company’s head of marketing strategy, Eom Gichen, said steel demand was expected to remain to weak in the first half of next year because of economic factors like austerity measures.

☆ Vale's third-quarter iron ore output edges up
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Brazil's Vale SA (VALE3.SA), one of the world's largest miners, on Monday reported a third-quarter iron ore production up slightly from the previous year, while its smaller nickel output soared as refineries resumed operations. Vale's output of iron ore, its main product, reached 89.7 million tonnes for the third quarter, up 1.1% from the previous year. Meanwhile, nickel production for the period leapt 71.5% to 51,800 tonnes, as refineries resumed after a maintenance period, Vale said. Nickel sales, however, grew just 6%, which Vale attributed to low container availability and sales commitments during maintenance stoppages in the last three months of this year. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Peter Frontini; Editing by Chris Reese and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'It's a very different pace': An American executive living in Sweden shares his 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily routine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Mark Bula is the chief commercial officer at H2 Green Steel in Stockholm, Sweden. Behind him on his left is Henrik Henriksson, CEO of H2 Green Steel. H2 Green Steel7:30 a.m. — arrive at the officeWhen he gets to the office, Bula checks his emails and touches base with the company's salespeople. In Sweden, Bula picks up fresh food at the store, walks the dog, and then goes home to prepare dinner. At H2 Green Steel, "there's always something different about it, and I find that to be a lot of fun."

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