The Netherlands generated 132 billion kWh of electricity in 2025, a 10% year-on-year increase, with renewables accounting for 49% of the total mix. Solar output surged 17%, driven by a sunny season and a 4% growth in installed capacity, which includes around 550 MW of small-scale PV added in the first half of the year. Conversely, fossil fuels supplied 48% of the total, as natural gas and coal generation rose by 11% and 25%, respectively. Bolstered by strong domestic production, the country's electricity exports jumped 25% to 30 billion kWh, heavily supplying neighboring Germany and Belgium amid regional generation shortfalls.

【SMM Steel】ArcelorMittal Belgium finished consultations on closing its Tailored Blanks division in Ghent. It cited sustained losses and weak European auto demand. During talks, management detailed its restructuring plan; employee reps gave feedback. A social plan, approved by >70% of affected staff, will aid the transition. The final decision now goes to the board.

The European Union will urge the US to further implement the trade agreement reached between the EU and the US in July, including a reduction in aluminium tariffs, during a meeting with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Brussels, Belgium today. Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will attend the meeting with trade ministers from the 27 EU member states. This will be the first high-level meeting between officials from both sides since the tariff agreement was reached. In July, the EU and the US reached an agreement under which the US would impose a 15% tariff on most EU exports, but both sides are still negotiating further trade concessions. The EU wants the US to reduce its current 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum, while Washington is demanding that the EU withdraw its environmental and digital regulations.The EU is also pushing for a broader "metals alliance" with the US to prevent China's overcapacity from impacting the economies of both Europe and the US. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen noted that the talks would be an opportunity to discuss how to "stabilize EU-US trade relations." He added that it was also "a good opportunity to discuss the issues we face together, namely the global trading system and China, among others."

According to SMM, Bernd Lange, Chairman of the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament, said at a press conference held in Brussels, Belgium on the 9th local time that the current trade dispute between the EU and the US remains focused on tariff areas in specific industries, particularly steel, automobiles, copper, and possibly pharmaceutical products.

The EU has recently selected 13 overseas strategic raw material projects as a key initiative under its plan to secure the supply chain of critical minerals. For these 13 newly added overseas projects, the EU is expected to require a total capital investment of 5.5 billion euros (approximately 45.05 billion yuan). Specifically, the new projects cover 13 countries: Canada, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, Zambia, New Caledonia, Brazil, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, and the UK.

On June 13, at the 2025 SMM (13th) Minor Metal Industry Conference - Rare and Scattered Metals Forum (Indium, Germanium, Gallium, Bismuth, Selenium, Tellurium), hosted by Shandong Humon Smelting Co., Ltd. and SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., Long Wensheng, General Manager of Changsha Aochang Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., elaborated on "The Current Application Status and Future Prospects of Minor Metal Selenium.