Brazilian-owned Acerías Paz del Río is the only steelmaker in Colombia permitted to continue operating its plants, as the country remains on lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Acerías Paz del Río operate with blast furnaces that are incapable of being taken offline, the Colombia Steel Chamber (Camacero) told Davis Index.
The Colombian government recently mandated shutdowns for all steel plants between March 25 and April 13, save for those that must remain online, and those which involve zinc dip galvanizing, Camacero said in a statement.
The country’s steel production decreased by 1.5pc on an annual basis to 95,000mt in January, according to figures from the Latin American Steel Association. Colombia producted 1.3mn mt of long steel products in 2019, rising by 7pc over 2018, according to figures from the Colombian Steel Committee.