From January to November 2024, the volume of crude steel production in the country was 31.1 million tons
From January to November 2024, the volume of crude steel production in the country was 31.1 million tons. The result exceeds that recorded in the same period in 2023 by 5.6%.
Comparing the 2 periods, imports, apparent consumption and domestic sales grew 24.4%, 9.6% and 8.7%, respectively, according to the Instituto Aço Brasil.
The forecast is that, when computing the December results, the year 2024 will end with production of 33.7 million tons. This year, the worst index was related to exports, which totaled 8.8 million tons so far, 18.5% less than the same period last year.
In an interview with journalists, the organization highlighted how the 3 main sectors that depend on steel contributed to the performance presented: the automotive sector had an increase of 12.1%, while the machinery and equipment sector and the civil construction sector registered a positive variation of 1 % and 4.1% respectively.
The institute’s executive president, Marco Polo de Mello, referred to a table that compiles data on the history of some countries regarding the consumption of the metallic alloy, over 43 years. In Brazil in 1980, the average proportion was 100.6 kilos per inhabitant, rising to 110.8 in 2023. The country’s variation was 10.1%, while that of China, for example, was 1,863% .
The Asian country was mentioned as a factor of concern, as it is, in Mello’s assessment, practicing an activity “predatory”dominating exports.
Mello stated that one of the themes that predominated was the energy transition, especially by COP 29 (UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change), held last month in Baku (Azerbaijan), and that the steel and iron industries are responsible for only 4% of the volume of greenhouse gases emitted by Brazil. Globally, the percentage is 7%, said Mello.
When citing the numbers, the institute representative asked that other economic sectors be charged proportionally for the damage they produce. Agribusiness, for example, accounts for 32% of emissions, and the energy sector, for 24%.
Mello also emphasized the importance of defining what is a goal established by the Brazilian government and what is within the sector’s reach. “We will only assume feasible goals”he declared.
The institute’s executive used the USA as an example, which, according to him, after having gone through a boom in car production, they used the units as scrap, which they see as one of the solutions for the energy transition.
The 2nd of them, complementary, would be the use of hydrogen as a substitute, in the steel decarbonization process, which, criticized Mello, would require Petrobras to take a position “less monopolistic”. To complete a set of tools, the steel industry would need R$180 billion to make the transition to clean energy viable.
With information from .
