Spanish crude steel output jumped by 34.5pc to 936kt (936,000mt) in September from 696kt the prior month, according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel).
Local crude steel output fell by 26.2pc to a total of 7.8mn mt through the first nine months of 2020 compared with 10.6mn mt during the same prior-year period, the worldsteel data released on Oct 24 indicated.
Meanwhile, Spain’s pig iron production declined 39.1pc to a total of 1.9mn mt between January and September 2020 compared with 3.2mn mt through the first three quarters in 2019.
The most recent Spanish crude steel production numbers reflect the resumption of output from ArcelorMittal Europe’s Asturias (Gijón) blast furnace (BF) and Sestao electric arc furnace (EAF).
Despite the resumption of the company’s 2.4mn mt BF and 1.8mn mt EAF, countrywide output remained 20.7pc below the 1mn mt produced in the same month last year.
While domestic blast furnace iron output increased by 28.9pc compared with the prior month to 196kt in September, production remained 43.6pc below levels in the prior-year period.
Davis Index estimates that local pig iron production should gradually recover to year-ago volumes once Asturias’ BF A ramps up output to minimum operational capacity.