According to data presented by the Unesid, steel production in Spain reached 11.1 million tonnes in 2020, with a decrease of 18% and registering its worst figure since the 2008 financial crisis due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past year, the sector registered some of the lowest monthly productions in the historical series of the national steel industry, being comparable to those of 1996 and standing below one million tonnes in eight of the 12 months of 2020. However, at the end of the year there was acceleration, with production growing in the fourth quarter by 36% compared to the third. In 2020, the Spanish steel industry recycled 9.1 million tonnes of scrap. In 2020, the sector delivered 12.3 million tonnes of steel products to the market, representing a decrease of 15.2%, thus ending three years of slight increases. In addition, the demand for steel products fell by 11.7% in the year, with a profile similar to that of production, with strong decreases in the central part of the year and a recovery in the last quarter of 11.6% compared to the third. With regard to foreign trade, the global scope of the pandemic has also influenced exports, which fell by 16.2% last year, reaching 8.0 million tonnes. Meanwhile, imports, which reached 8.9 million tonnes, fell somewhat less than exports, with a decrease of 13.2%. In volume, there is therefore a deficit close to one million tons. Looking ahead to 2021, Unesid General Director Mr Andres Barcelo considers that the beginning of the year has also been affected both by the effects of the storm Filomena in Spain, as well as by the sharp increase in energy prices and the continuation of the generalized escalation of raw materials in everyone. For this reason, he expressed his confidence that the relaxation of restrictive measures, as a consequence of the vaccination process, will allow a recovery of activity in all consumer sectors.
According to data presented by the Unesid, steel production in Spain reached 11.1 million tonnes in 2020, with a decrease of 18% and registering its worst figure since the 2008 financial crisis due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past year, the sector registered some of the lowest monthly productions in the historical series of the national steel industry, being comparable to those of 1996 and standing below one million tonnes in eight of the 12 months of 2020. However, at the end of the year there was acceleration, with production growing in the fourth quarter by 36% compared to the third. In 2020, the Spanish steel industry recycled 9.1 million tonnes of scrap. In 2020, the sector delivered 12.3 million tonnes of steel products to the market, representing a decrease of 15.2%, thus ending three years of slight increases. In addition, the demand for steel products fell by 11.7% in the year, with a profile similar to that of production, with strong decreases in the central part of the year and a recovery in the last quarter of 11.6% compared to the third. With regard to foreign trade, the global scope of the pandemic has also influenced exports, which fell by 16.2% last year, reaching 8.0 million tonnes. Meanwhile, imports, which reached 8.9 million tonnes, fell somewhat less than exports, with a decrease of 13.2%. In volume, there is therefore a deficit close to one million tons. Looking ahead to 2021, Unesid General Director Mr Andres Barcelo considers that the beginning of the year has also been affected both by the effects of the storm Filomena in Spain, as well as by the sharp increase in energy prices and the continuation of the generalized escalation of raw materials in everyone. For this reason, he expressed his confidence that the relaxation of restrictive measures, as a consequence of the vaccination process, will allow a recovery of activity in all consumer sectors.
