Electricity, logistics lead discussion points at IFA 2021

Global ferro-alloy markets have been supercharged this year by robust demand and supply shortages that began when the world's major producing countries faced extensive electricity limitations.

With many alloy prices near record highs, conversation at this year's International Ferro-alloys conference in Prague over November 14-16 will focus on the surge in electricity prices in China and Europe, the challenge of freight and logistics, the rise in the decarbonization agenda, and the ongoing issues surrounding Covid-19.
Electricity crunch in China
China, the world's largest ferro-alloy producer, had grappled with a persistent power crunch amid a coal shortage and its own strict limits on energy consumption throughout the first three quarters of this year.
Lingering power cuts have halted or lowered ferro-alloy production in the country's main producing regions of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Guangxi, which fueled dramatic price rallies in a number of markets, including high-carbon ferro-chrome, ferro-silicon, and silico-manganese.

Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment of ferro-silicon 75% Si min, in-whs China, hit 22,000-23,000 yuan ($3,448-3,605) per tonne on September 29, up by 216.9% from...

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