Speaking to BloombergHT, Mete Bülent Adalı, board member of Turkish steel producer Ege Çelik and of the Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association, has shared information about the activities of Ege Çelik and commented on developments in the industry.
Regarding the activities of Ege Çelik, Mete Adalı said that they have a plant with a capacity of 2 million mt, with one of its furnaces in standby mode and one of them undergoing relining works, with the company continuing its activities with a single furnace. Last year, Ege Çelik produced 360,000 mt of finished steel, which was almost entirely wire rod. Stating that Ege Çelik is continuing its efforts to expand its product portfolio, Mr. Adalı stated that the company’s new investment for the production of goods that are not produced in Turkey or that are not produced in sufficient quantities will be started up in the summer of 2023.
Mr. Adalı said that about a month and a half ago Turkey and Ukraine signed a free trade agreement, but the agenda has since changed with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Stating that commodity prices increased rapidly as of February 24 when the invasion began, Adalı said that the two countries in question are large steel and scrap exporters, and that the effects of the absence of the countries from the markets will continue to be seen in the coming period.
Pointing out that most of the raw materials used in Turkey’s steel production were supplied from Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Adalı stated that all countries are in search of both supplies and new markets, and that they face risks of reduced production.
