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He also acts as a liaison to the press. He has a PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Nottingham.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmatthew/",{"type":30,"attrs":31,"content":33},"doc",{"backgroundColor":32},null,[34,77,85,97,109,117,125,131,139,147,155,161,170,178],{"type":35,"attrs":36,"content":37},"paragraph",{"textAlign":32},[38,46,58,63,72],{"text":39,"type":40,"marks":41},"The graphite electrode market is expected to remain ","text",[42],{"type":43,"attrs":44},"textStyle",{"color":45},"#000000",{"text":47,"type":40,"marks":48},"oversupplied",[49,56],{"type":50,"attrs":51},"link",{"href":52,"uuid":53,"anchor":32,"target":54,"linktype":55},"/article/mitsubishi-chemical-to-exit-needle-coke-business-amid-prolonged-oversupply","46a5c78b-4875-4721-b8d2-a8a71fb860db","_self","story",{"type":43,"attrs":57},{"color":45},{"text":59,"type":40,"marks":60}," for the rest of the decade, with weak demand growth and substantial spare capacity continuing to weigh on industry utilisation and ",[61],{"type":43,"attrs":62},{"color":45},{"text":64,"type":40,"marks":65},"profitability",[66,70],{"type":50,"attrs":67},{"href":68,"uuid":69,"anchor":32,"target":54,"linktype":55},"/article/middle-east-conflict-set-to-push-china-needle-coke-prices-to-three-year-high","ff767d0f-6a3f-4da7-ae5c-282d28d4d7f2",{"type":43,"attrs":71},{"color":45},{"text":73,"type":40,"marks":74},".",[75],{"type":43,"attrs":76},{"color":45},{"type":35,"attrs":78,"content":79},{"textAlign":32},[80],{"text":81,"type":40,"marks":82},"Benchmark forecasts a surplus of 34 Kt in 2026, narrowing over 2027 and 2028 before widening again to 43 Kt in 2030 as new capacity comes online.",[83],{"type":43,"attrs":84},{"color":45},{"type":86,"attrs":87},"blok",{"id":88,"body":89},"256d9036-c133-441b-8b3b-0d1cd6bbe43c",[90],{"id":91,"_uid":92,"type":93,"component":94,"fixed_height":95,"use_fixed_height":96,"fixed_height_mobile":95,"fixed_height_tablet":95},"30881828","i-8e83ad66-6f54-4fe5-af50-0ba07fe7db77","visualisation","ContentFlourish","",false,{"type":98,"attrs":99,"content":101},"heading",{"level":100,"textAlign":32},2,[102],{"text":103,"type":40,"marks":104},"Overcapacity remains the core issue",[105,107],{"type":43,"attrs":106},{"color":45},{"type":108},"bold",{"type":35,"attrs":110,"content":111},{"textAlign":32},[112],{"text":113,"type":40,"marks":114},"Global capacity totals about 2.4 Mt, against supply of 1.3 Mt in 2026, so the industry is running at little more than half capacity.",[115],{"type":43,"attrs":116},{"color":45},{"type":35,"attrs":118,"content":119},{"textAlign":32},[120],{"text":121,"type":40,"marks":122},"“With around 1.1 Mt of capacity idle, any recovery in demand can be met quickly from existing plants, limiting the scope for higher utilisation and prices,” said Ravindra Panwar, a graphite analyst at Benchmark.",[123],{"type":43,"attrs":124},{"color":45},{"type":86,"attrs":126},{"id":88,"body":127},[128],{"id":129,"_uid":130,"type":93,"component":94,"fixed_height":95,"use_fixed_height":96,"fixed_height_mobile":95,"fixed_height_tablet":95},"30881855","i-75158f36-2b6d-48fd-9616-3cb1c543cbac",{"type":35,"attrs":132,"content":133},{"textAlign":32},[134],{"text":135,"type":40,"marks":136},"Despite this, about 90 Kt of new capacity is scheduled to come online by 2030, from expansion projects at Jimeng Carbon and Fangda Carbon. The investment reflects consolidation and a shift towards ultra-high-power (UHP) electrodes for larger EAFs, the fastest-growing segment of demand.",[137],{"type":43,"attrs":138},{"color":45},{"type":35,"attrs":140,"content":141},{"textAlign":32},[142],{"text":143,"type":40,"marks":144},"Producers have begun to rationalise capacity. Around 160 Kt of graphite electrode capacity has closed since 2021, with another 35 Kt at GrafTech's Monterrey facility expected to shut in 2027. Notably, most closures have been among non-Chinese producers, reflecting the competitive advantage of lower-cost Chinese suppliers despite anti-dumping measures in the EU, Japan and the US.",[145],{"type":43,"attrs":146},{"color":45},{"type":35,"attrs":148,"content":149},{"textAlign":32},[150],{"text":151,"type":40,"marks":152},"“With demand growth modest and new capacity still coming online, producers face ongoing pressure,” Panwar said. “Unless demand recovers, the industry is likely to see further plant closures, capacity curtailments and consolidation through the rest of the decade, as supply adjusts to weaker demand.”",[153],{"type":43,"attrs":154},{"color":45},{"type":86,"attrs":156},{"id":88,"body":157},[158],{"id":159,"_uid":160,"type":93,"component":94,"fixed_height":95,"use_fixed_height":96,"fixed_height_mobile":95,"fixed_height_tablet":95},"30884265","i-4cc62010-8b4b-435b-952e-913bcebbbd87",{"type":98,"attrs":162,"content":163},{"level":100,"textAlign":32},[164],{"text":165,"type":40,"marks":166},"Slow EAF adoption in China limits demand growth",[167,169],{"type":43,"attrs":168},{"color":45},{"type":108},{"type":35,"attrs":171,"content":172},{"textAlign":32},[173],{"text":174,"type":40,"marks":175},"A key factor behind the weak market is China's slower than expected transition to electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking. Only 10.6% of China's crude steel production came from EAFs in 2025, below the government's 15% target. Benchmark expects the EAF share to reach only 12% by 2028, as high power costs and tight scrap supply favour blast furnaces.",[176],{"type":43,"attrs":177},{"color":45},{"type":35,"attrs":179,"content":180},{"textAlign":32},[181],{"text":182,"type":40,"marks":183},"However, steel output continues to decline, driven by weak construction demand and government efforts to cut overcapacity. This reduces electrode use in ladle furnaces. 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