Steel demand in India to grow around 10% in 2022: Moody's

Demand for steel is expected to grow by around 10% through 2022 amid the government's continued focus on the construction of roads, railways, ports and airports, according to Moody’s Investors Service. On the trade front, as per the report, India's steel exports will continue to remain strong in the coming months as higher prices and regional demand motivate steelmakers to divert part of their production to exports. Input costs have been on an upswing owing to the Russia-Ukraine war & companies have been wary of the higher raw material costs gnawing into their margins. Steel prices have been no stranger to this phenomenon. The prices of iron ore and coking coal, two key components of producing steel in the commonly used basic oxygen furnace (BOF) method, have surged recently and are expected to stay elevated as the conflict further tightens supply. Moody's has opined that steel makers with higher self-sufficiency in raw materials are currently better positioned. For example, Tata Steel & JSW Steel have either complete or high self-sufficiency in iron ore for their Indian operations. These two companies are more shielded from these risks given their backward integration into the production of key steelmaking inputs, it said. Tata Steel remains exposed to volatility in its Europe and Southeast Asia operations, which are not backward integrated. In Europe, structural improvements in its manufacturing processes and plant upgrades have helped streamline some costs but the lack of backward integration and volatile input and end-product prices will remain a key sensitivity, as per the ratings agency.