China is the principal driver of growth in electricity-based steelmaking globally, an effort that is supported by the country's ecological policies and the increasing availability of scrap steel, experts said at a recent industry forum.
By 2030, around 33% of China's steel is expected to be produced using electric-arc furnaces (EAFs), up from 6% in 2015, Joerg Schwoerer, head of sales for electric steelmaking at UK-based technology supplier Primetals, said at the 2018 South-East Asia Iron & Steel Institute (SEAISI) Conference & Exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.China is limiting its steel production by closing idle plants, which is expected by some market participants to hinder the global sales growth of EAFs. But Schwoerer instead thinks that China is one of the key markets driving the expansion of this method of steelmaking.A source at a state-owned steel technology institute told Fastmarkets that Primetals has sold more than 10 EAFs in China over the...