From the 28th to the 30th of October, the 10th International Needle Coke & Application Market Conference will be held in Chengdu, China – city with 15.5 million inhabitants and capital of the province of Sichuan. The gathering of the leading Chinese experts is considered a reliable source to gain first-hand information on the graphite electrode market and the state of the art in the production of needle coke.

CEO and company founder Rolf Terjung followed the conference for us on site. His most important keynotes on each day of the event can be found below:

Day 1 – Thematic block “Needle Coke”

  • After the profitable years of 2017 and 2018, the current electrode market is characterized by high output and weak sales at low prices.
  • The profits of recent years have flown mainly into the development of needle coke as raw material and production technology. Chinese needle coke is already successfully processed into UHP electrodes at home and abroad. An alternative to the western needle coke manufacturers is building up.
  • In particular, UHP electrodes for melting furnaces (EAF) have caught up with the performance of Western “blue chip” manufacturers. However, caution is advised: The production of UHP electrodes requires technical know-how and experience, which is often not sufficiently available.
  • Currently approximately 1.9 million tons of production capacity are installed in China for electrodes, which are used to 40%. Diameters below 500 mm can no longer be produced cost-effectively. The focus is on the dimensions 600 to 700 mm.
  • The Chinese “blue-sky” policy remains a priority and promotes EAF steel production. Approximately 20% of China’s crude steel production will be produced this way in the future.

Day 2 – Theme block “EAF Steelmaking”

  • The Chinese government’s “blue-sky” policy promotes change from conventional blast furnaces to EAF. Environmental objectives are in the foreground: Reduced emissions, containment of CO2 emissions, recycling of steel scrap, etc.
  • The Government’s five-year plan foresees that the 20% target of EAF steel production in 2025 will be achieved. This corresponds to the use of approx. 600,000 mt of graphite electrodes.
  • All forces (politics, society and technology) are being pooled to improve China’s air quality and quality of life.
  • Contribution to “Made-in-China 2025”: China wants to supply itself from its own sources (raw material, energy, technology). This development will also contribute to a balanced world economy.
  • A shortage of electrode production as in the years 2017/18 is no longer to be expected.

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