As Latin America's steel industry grows, will it look for new sources of metallurgical coal?

摘要

There are three substantial players in Latin America's steel industry, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. In the future, as steel production continues to grow, who will supply the metallurgical coal that the industry requires to thrive? Historically the United States has been a major supplier of metallurgical coal to Latin America. The United States continues to offer the widest range of met coal qualities to meet the requirements of steelmakers in Latin America, but there are challenges on the horizon. According to Hill & Associates' latest international study, "International Coal Trade: Demand, Supply & Prices to 2015" met coal exports dropped by 28 million tonnes out of East Coast ports between 1997 and 2002, while met coal exports out of the Gulf have declined by 5.0 million tonnes since 1993.