Chinese Steel Mills Trigger Growth in Indian Iron Ore Supplies

As China’s push for clear skies sends the world’s biggest steel industry hunting for better quality iron ore, suppliers in India are ramping up capacity to cater to the growing export market, according to the local unit of Moody’s Investors Service. Indian producers of iron ore pellets -- a less polluting form of the mineral that can be fed directly into furnaces -- are set to boost their production capability by over 15 percent to more than 100 million metric tons in the next two years, as rising shipments to China augment demand from a buoyant domestic steel industry, PriyeshRuparelia, an assistant vice president at ICRA Ltd., said from Mumbai this week. Mills are increasingly interested in pellets “given the Chinese government’s intent to curtail production of polluting industries,” he said. “China’s recently announced stimulus to prop up infrastructure demand is likely to aid steel production growth, which in turn is likely to keep pellet prices buoyant.” The South Asian nation is likely to export close to 9 million tons of pellets for a third straight year in the period to March, about two-thirds of that to China, he said. Chinese pellet prices are currently trading around $150 a ton, including cost and freight, compared to sub-$100 levels in the April-June quarter last year, Ruparelia said. A depreciation in the rupee is also benefiting the companies that export a significant proportion of their production, such as Jindal Steel & Power Ltd., Essar Steel India Ltd. and Brahmani River Pellets Ltd., he said.