Southeast Europe (SEE) crude steel output amounted to 224,357 tonnes in July, which is flat on-month, but less compared to 236,441t in July 2024, according to worldsteel data.
In the first seven months of the year, regional production was 1.66 million tonnes compared to 1.76mt in January-July 2024, Kallanish notes.
Serbia was again the largest steel producer among the seven countries of SEE in May, which also include Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, North Macedonia and Moldova.
However, worldsteel did not provide data for June steel production in Bosnia or Moldova.
Serbia’s production of crude steel was up 1.6% on-year at 816,600t in January-July.
Second-largest producer in the region Slovenia saw production in the seven months almost flat on-year at 380,437t. Special steelmaker Slovenian Steel Group (SIJ) reported revenue in 2024 at €1 billion ($1.13 billion), unchanged versus the previous year, and expects the steel market will recover this year.
Third-largest steel producer Bulgaria saw its crude steel output in January-June flat on-year at 300,500t.
North Macedonia produced 161,947t, down 16.4% on-year.
Croatia did not produce steel in January-July.
Bulgaria’s government granted in June a derogation from EU sanctions on Russia to the supply of iron and steel for Bulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear power plant (see Kallanish passim). A large part of the nuclear equipment is Russian and cannot be replaced by imports from elsewhere.
In June, ArcelorMittal signed a sale and purchase agreement to sell its operations in Bosnia. ArcelorMittal Zenica, an integrated steel plant, and ArcelorMittal Prijedor, an iron ore mining business which supplies the Zenica plant, will be sold to Bosnian real estate company Pavgord Group.
Zenica is the largest producer of long products in the Balkans with a capacity of 700,000 tonnes/year. The basic product range includes rebar in bars and coils, wire rod, mesh, and lattice girders.
Svetoslav Abrossimov Bulgaria
