Bloomberg reported that world’s largest vanadium producer outside China Evraz Plc said steelmakers are boosting their use of vanadium again after it slumped as much as 75% this year. Alexander Erenburg, VP of Evraz, said “The current vanadium price of USD 30 to USD 40 per kilogram makes it optimal for steel alloying both in terms of costs and the technological process.”
He said that steelmakers had substituted 15% of their consumption of the metal.
Vanadium, used to strengthen steel, peaked at more than USD 120 per kilogram at the end of 2018 after China implemented new construction standards, stipulating the use of such toughened alloys in houses and infrastructure. Prices of the metal plunged this year as steelmakers partially substituted it with alternatives, such as niobium and titanium.
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