Day: 31 March 2026

The European Commission has published a notice of the impending expiry of anti-dumping measures on imports of certain utility scale steel wind towers from China, with the measures set to expire on 17 December 2026 unless an expiry review is requested, Kallanish notes.

The current AD duties were imposed on 15 December 2021.

Union producers may request an expiry review if they can provide sufficient evidence that the expiry of the measures would likely result in a continuation or recurrence of dumping and injury.

Any request for an expiry review must be submitted no later than three months before the expiry date, meaning the deadline for review requests is 17 September 2026.

If a review is initiated, the measures will remain in force during the investigation.

Austria increased its crude steel production in February compared with the previous month, according to worldsteel data.

Output amounted to 560,000 tonnes, down 9.6% month-on-month, but 4.7% higher year-on-year, Kallanish notes.

Austria remained 22nd in the ranking of top global steel producers in February, data shows.

In January-February, the country produced 1.18 million tonnes of steel, versus 1.1mt in the first two months of 2025, bucking the overall EU and global output downward trend.

Overall EU output in February was down 3.6% on-year to 9.83mt. January-February production was 20mt compared with almost 20.6mt in the first two months of 2025.

Austria’s voestalpine Stahl has selected Primetals Technologies to upgrade the laminar strip cooling line at its 5 mt/year hot strip mill (HSM) in Linz. The company is also pursuing production cutbacks and layoffs in Austria and Germany, because it does not expect the economic situation to improve in the coming months (see Kallanish passim).

In the group’s first fiscal half-year – April through September 2025 – revenue declined by 5.6% on-year to €7.6 billion ($9.1 billion). Consolidated earnings before taxes increased by 12% to €278 million, while profit after tax rose by 8.6% to €199m.

The Industrial Accelerator Act’s (IAA) “Made in Europe” requirement should be extended to steel to help support uptake from domestic DRI/HBI production being planned in the region, Kallanish learns from sources.

The European Commission confirmed in March that its IAA legislative proposal includes a stipulation of 25% of steel volume procured for public projects launched from 2029 must be low-emission. However, given the forthcoming new steel trade regime, a “Made in Europe” requirement has not been included, and neither has the voluntary label for low-emission steel.

One source says the current situation reflects compromises reached in Brussels, noting that while “there is the green steel concept which is a good signal,” it does not yet include a strong “Made in Europe” component.

They describe the IAA as “a missed opportunity” although discussions are said to be still ongoing. “They say it’s not over, some negotiations are still happening, but some countries’ position was to not include a made in Europe steel for public procurement. We need to have a very clear Made in Europe criteria.”

While the current uptake of green steel remains sluggish, some segments are beginning to show signs of momentum. Industry sources say the European Commission is working on defining and labelling green steel, with many pushing for a simplified classification system.

Automotive and component manufacturers are beginning to drive demand pushed by the need to lower the carbon emissions of their European supply chain. Recent purchases of low-carbon steel by carmakers prove demand is growing. “They will need green steel in the future which implies increased demand for HBI as part of the low-carbon steel value chain,” the source says.

“If you want to preserve the industry that is struggling, you cannot work with the old model of making and selling steel, it’s not sustainable anymore. You need to reduce costs of electricity, you need to incentivise people to invest and you need to create demand for a true transformation to happen,” they add.

Another source questions how such a label would be defined in practice, asking “what is green steel? What is made in Europe? How far back along the value chain the definition should extend and will raw materials such as HBI be included?”. “A compromise in Brussels on public procurement rules remains necessary,” they add.

Regarding the potential impact of geopolitical tensions on future DRI/HBI projects, market participants express limited concern. Although current and future conflicts will be pushing up logistics and energy costs, the supply chains for green iron particularly from South America are expected to remain unaffected, thanks to the political stability of the Western Hemisphere.

The Iberian hot rolled coil market saw prices rise in the last full week of March. Demand, however, remains weak amid cautious buyer behaviour, market sources tell Kallanish.

“Rising prices are curbing consumption, and most retailers anticipate further risks to demand due to the increased costs resulting from geopolitical tensions,” says one seller. “It is difficult to predict when the market will recover.”

Apart from the effects of the US-Israel-Iran war, customers are also concerned about the impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on their HRC bookings since January.

“The implementation of CBAM makes import prices uncompetitive compared to those in Spain, which are already higher. This, combined with rising transport and energy costs, is significantly discouraging consumer interest at the moment,” a source explains.

Spanish steel distributors say that HRC prices for April deliveries will remain high, confirming that local steelmakers are resisting making concessions.

Spanish HRC prices currently stand at €700-710/tonne ($807.98-819.50) ex-works. Distributors’ levels surpass €730/t delivered.