Steel Mills
September 19, 2017
Electrode Shortage Limited in U.S.
Written by Sandy Williams
European steel producers are worried about tight supply conditions for carbon graphite electrodes used in electric arc furnace steelmaking, but it may not be as big a problem in the U.S. A global shortage of high quality needle coke has spiked prices and squeezed supply of electrodes in Europe in recent months, said Axel Eggert, director general of the European Steel Association (EUROFER).
“This global shortage has been caused by the idling of global production capacity over the past few years, followed by production stoppages recently enforced by the Chinese authorities as a result of additional environmental standards,” said Eggert. Electrodes are produced in a limited number of regions that include China, India, Japan, Europe and the U.S.
