The European Commission has imposed provisional safeguard measures on imports of grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) products until 26 February 2027. The measure, welcomed by steelmakers’ association Eurofer, comprises tariff-rate quotas coupled with price thresholds, Kallanish notes.
Following an investigation launched in March, the Commission concluded that provisional measures were urgently needed to protect a strategic EU industry that is under threat from high import pressure – fuelled by global overcapacities and the closure of traditional export markets. Also included are cores that are already incorporated in transformers. The measures thereby also provide protection to transformer manufacturers downstream.
The analysis of import trends of the product concerned shows a 120% increase in import volumes in absolute terms during the period considered – 2021 to 2025 – a 141 % increase compared to EU production and a 66 % increase compared to EU consumption.
The price thresholds range from €2,800-5,000/tonne ($3,214-5,740) while the quotas for GOES range from 30,694 tonnes for China to 4,790t for South Korea, and for laminations and cores from 14,162t for Turkey to 2,694t for “other countries”.
“Europe cannot expand and strengthen its electricity grids without maintaining a European supply of Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel. This safeguard strikes the right balance: preserving a viable European GOES production base while keeping the market open to the imports needed by transformer manufacturers,” says Eurofer director general Axel Eggert.
The cost of the measure to EU electrification should be limited. Estimates indicate the measure would add only around 0.002 cents per kilowatt-hour to overall grid costs. GOES accounts for a small share of transformer costs, while transformers account for only a limited share of total grid investment, the association notes.
“By covering not only GOES coils but also laminations, cores and transformer cores incorporated in imported transformers, the measure prevents import pressure from simply shifting downstream. This ensures that EU transformer makers are not placed at a disadvantage against importers using artificially low-priced GOES outside the EU, while preserving access to the imports needed to compete in European and export markets,” it concludes.
