[SMM Steel] On March 26, 2026, the Indian government approved $42 million in funding for three pilot projects to produce steel using green hydrogen. Part of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, these projects will be completed within three years by Matrix Gas Renewables, Simplex Castings, and SAIL. The pilots will test 100% hydrogen use in Direct Reduction Iron (DRI) and hydrogen injection in blast furnaces to significantly reduce coal and coke consumption.

Recently, the first coils were successfully rolled off the pickling line and hot-dip galvanizing line of the cold-rolling project of Anhui Panhua New Materials Co., Ltd., for which China National Heavy Machinery Research Institute Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SINOMACH Heavy Equipment Group, served as the EPC contractor, marking the successful commissioning of the project.

Spot Lithium Carbonate Fluctuated Upward on 3.23-3.26.

Recently, the finishing mill unit and sizing press developed by Erzhong Equipment, a subsidiary of SINOMACH Heavy Equipment, for Meishan Iron & Steel’s 1,422 mm hot rolling production line were successfully commissioned. The equipment has been operating stably, with all performance indicators leading the industry, and has received high recognition from the owner.

At a February 5 forum in Kuala Lumpur, leaders highlighted progress on Southeast Asia’s interconnected power grid. The Vietnam–Malaysia–Singapore (VMS) project, is a major step toward the ASEAN Power Grid and is expected to reach 2,000 MW.

Dalian iron ore rose in the morning session today and then slowly pulled back. The most-traded contract I2605 finally closed at 817 yuan/mt, up 0.18% from the previous trading session. Spot prices rose by about 5-8 yuan from the previous trading day. Traders were moderately active in offering quotes, while steel mills maintained a steady procurement pace; overall spot market transactions were limited. Morning gains in futures were driven more by market rumors that core suppliers were about to cut production. According to this week’s SMM data, hot metal production steadily rebounded to 2.4049 million mt this week, up 15,000 mt WoW, indicating strong price support from the demand side. In terms of supply, IOCJ fines and PB lump continued to see relatively large destocking, while Newman fines and MAC fines inventories kept rising, indicating that structural tightness at ports still existed. However, due to elevated prices and mixed market news, with rumors surrounding long-term contract negotiations and production cuts remaining confusing, market risks intensified, and most funds chose to stay on the sidelines. Overall, iron ore prices were more likely to break upward, with relatively solid support at the bottom, and ore prices are expected to fluctuate at highs in the short term.