Tag: Renewables

Bend, Ore.-based Origami Solar has partnered with three US steel fabricators to prioritize a domestic supply chain for its solar frames.

The LME 3-month price for aluminum was broadly stable on the morning of May 24 and, at the writing of this article, was last seen trading at $2,627 per metric ton. The price fell sharply during the week from its recent peak amid hawkish comments from Fed officials, as indicated in the minutes of the […]

SMU had the pleasure of attending the American Iron and Steel Institute's (AISI's) annual general meeting in Washington this week. It was a slow week in our nation's capital, so we were able to take a leisurely stroll around the National Mall and take in the sights. Just kidding. In fact, the meeting coincided with significant trade actions announced by the Biden administration. It included, among other things, additional tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to imports and evolving market chatter.

I’ve gotten some questions lately about whether the huge gap between domestic hot-rolled coil (HR) prices and those for cold-rolled (CR) and coated is sustainable. I remember being asked similar questions about the wide spread between HR and plate that developed in early 2022. I thought at the time that there was no way that spread could hold. Turned out, I was wrong. That was humbling. And so I’m not going to make any bold predictions this time.

AZZ Inc. said it is seeing improving demand for its coil coating services as it reported a solid quarterly performance.

The steel market appears to be finding a new, higher normal with the shocks of the pandemic and the Ukraine in the rearview mirror. The good news: a more profitable and consolidated post-Covid US steel industry has been able to invest in operations. That includes efforts to decarbonize. The bad news: That “new normal” could be tested. Because it’s not just domestic sheet prices that have been volatile. Geopolitics are too.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. “To govern is to choose.” Those words, reportedly first uttered by the late French Premier Pierre Mendes-France in the 1950s, resonate vividly in our time. It means that choices have consequences and that priorities must be set based on goals. Interested parties, in and out of government, raise their voices in […]

Reaction to the price announcements last week by domestic mills varied just a little depending on who you were speaking to. I heard rumblings before the announcements that a price hike of $100 per short ton (st) was coming. After the announcements were made, I had some questions as to whether they were increases at all.

Worthington Steel began trading publicly on New York Stock Exchange on Dec. 1. In one sense, this marked the “finish line” of the company’s separation process. As the company gets ready to release its first earnings report as a standalone company, president and CEO Geoff Gilmore reflected on the journey, and what lies ahead.

A coalition of climate and industrial organizations has launched a 'Race to Green Steel' campaign.

The US Environmental Protection has announced more stringent air quality standards that could impact domestic steel producers.

The recession many predicted did not materialize in 2023, leading industry experts in several key end-user markets for steel cautiously optimistic for 2024.

The head of SSAB Americas talked the company's commitment to Swedish parent SSAB’s mission statement of sustainability at the Tampa Steel Conference 2024.

This time of year my thoughts often turn to the weather. Specifically yesterday, heat cranked up, as I sped to a café because of an Internet service outage. I

The historically significant Sparrows Points steel mill site in Baltimore is set to live another life as a wind turbine factory under the name “Sparrows Point Steel.”

The LME aluminum three-month price was unchanged on the morning of Nov. 3 and was seen trading at $2,235 per tonne.

Nucor has announced a collaboration with fusion power company Helion to develop a 500-megawatt nuclear fusion power plant.

H2 Green Steel said it has raised ~€1.5 billion (USD$1.6 billion) in equity to finance the company’s large-scale green steel plant in Boden, Sweden, and Europe’s first “giga-scale electrolyzer.”

AZZ Inc. reported an 18% increase in net income in its fiscal first quarter of 2024, driven by a strong performance in its Metal Coatings business and by a full quarter with its Precoat Metals acquisition. The Fort Worth, Texas-based galvanizer and coil coater posted net income of $28.5 million in its fiscal Q1 ended […]

I am writing these Final Thoughts from an exhibition hall at Tampa Marriot Water Street hotel, where we just wrapped up the Tampa Steel Conference. The table I’m writing from is about to be taken down and packed up, and I have to get to the airport soon – so forgive me for what tonight […]

The outbreak of war in Ukraine triggered an energy crisis in Europe. Gas and consequently electricity prices soared and remain high. European production of commodities such as ammonia, aluminum, and zinc which require significant energy and/or natural gas were and remain disrupted to differing degrees. Natural gas is supposed to be a ‘transition fuel’ in […]

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. has rolled out another $50/ton ($2.50/cwt) sheet price increase just a couple of weeks after doing the same in mid-January. The Cleveland-based steelmaker has also announced a target base price of $850 per ton for hot-rolled coil, up from the $800 per ton announced in mid-January. NLMK USA almost immediately upped the ante, […]

The World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute panel has ruled against the US on its implementation of Section 232 tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Norway brought this case. There are pending cases on Section 232 from China, India, Russia, Switzerland, and Turkey—all challenging the legitimacy of US arguments the tariffs were essential to protecting US […]

Independent hot-dip galvanizer and coil coater AZZ Inc. achieved record sales in the second quarter (ended Aug. 31) of its fiscal 2023 year. The quarter was the first to include results from Precoat Metals, whose acquisition was completed in May of this year. Total Q2 sales reached $406.7 million. This includes record sales of $165.8 […]

We’ve gotten so used to thinking about issues as Democrat vs. Republican, us versus them, that it’s gotten hard for us to make progress even on issues that we generally agree on – like lowering carbon emissions. Renewable energy, and trade policy around renewables, are examples of an all-too-common problem facing the country: Interest groups […]

Despite economic and geopolitical headwinds, there remains tremendous opportunity for steel and industrial metals distribution, Ryerson president and CEO Eddie Lehner during the most recent Steel Market Update Community Chat webinar. There might be debate over where rising finished steel prices will settle. But gone are the days of hot-rolled coil averaging around $600 per ton ($30 […]

By CRU Principal Analyst Matthew Watkins and Analyst Iris Speelmanns, part of CRU’s steel and the energy transition series When we think about hydrogen and steel, we generally focus on steel supply. Hydrogen is a possible alternate reductant, replacing coke and offering a pathway to low-CO2 steel production. But a hydrogen economy could also be a huge […]

By CRU Economist Frank Eich and Sustainability Analyst Huan Chang, Nov. 22 The COP26 was heralded as a “moment of truth” in the race against climate change. In addition to the expected announcements, such as those on finance, there were also some unexpected ones, such as the pledges from the Indian government to address climate […]

By Greg Wittbecker, Advisor, CRU Group Prices are higher…. why aren’t we seeing more aluminum production?  One of the most natural questions being asked in the world of aluminum is “with LME prices up so much year on year, why aren’t we seeing more capacity coming back to life?” It IS an appropriate question and […]