ArcelorMittal pays scrap scant attention in India plans

In a 45-slide update to investors about its steelmaking operations in India, ArcelorMittal, based in Luxembourg, barely mentions scrap consumption in its plans for growth in that nation.

Although sustainability is a foremost theme throughout the presentation, scrap gets just a brief mention on slide 26, with the company saying it anticipates using scrap in a “step-wise increase in [furnace] charge mix” in India.

In 2021, India did not even figure among the six largest importers of ferrous scrap shipped from the United States. In the first half of this year, India ranked as just the tenth largest overseas buyer, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Much of the ArcelorMittal presentation focuses on its iron mining, pelletizing and direct reduced iron (DRI) capacity investments in India. Alternative energy uses also garner attention as sustainability measures in the plan, which looks at recent investments and ahead to future ones.

The report to investors also touches upon the overall growth targets and plans of the steelmaking sector in India. That includes mentioning the Ministry of Steel’s target of 300 million metric tons of capacity installed by 2030. Tied to that, says ArcelorMittal, is an anticipated growth from 77 kilograms (170 pounds) used per person in India to a target of 160 kilograms (353 pounds) by 2031.

ArcelorMittal anticipates taking part in that growth with its capacity expansion investments underway in Hazira, India, and an announced greenfield mill project in Kendrapara, India.

The 45-slide presentation can be found here.