Needle coke prices come down 5 to 6 percent in October: Monthly report

ICC News: Needle coke market is broadly on a downward trend in October. As of late October, coal-based needle coke is 30,000 yuan/mt and petroleum-based needle coke 28,000 yuan/mt.
Specifically, Baotailong New Materials produced roughly 900 tons of pre-calcined needle coke; on Oct. 26, the company annnounced that it officially kicked off the production of the 10kt coal-based needle coke project; they have produced calcined needle coke products that meet the national standard GB/T32158-2015 for coal needle coke products.
Fangda C-Chem (Jiangsu) officially started needle coke production in mid October. This round of operation will last till Janufary 2018. Products will be limited for internal use at an internal price. The output for October is 1,000 yuan/ton.
Baosteel Chemical's overall sale price was stable after the National Day holiday after the 5% cut in September, with needle coke largely quoted at 32,000-33,000 yuan/ton. Entering the mid-to-late October, market quotes went down 6 percent once again to reach 30,000 yuan/mt and pitch coke was 8,000 yuan/ton; supply was tight.
The montly output was 3,500 tons; this round of production is expected to continue till mid November.
Shandong Yida's needle coke production facilities suspended operation in late August. After it resumed operation since late September, it has been running smoothly. Quotes of green coke this month are 20,000-21000 yuan/ton
Jinzhou Petrochemical's needle coke production is stable this month. Monthly output is 3,000 tons. According to the person in charge, downstream clients often hold wait-and-see stance and make purchases according to their needs. Market prices have come down 6 percent in October.
Jinzhou Chemical had began preparations for production since September.So far, it has started commissioning on the treatment of raw materials. It is expected to roll out needle coke products by late December and achieve smooth operation within six months.
The building construction of Henan Haixing Chemical Co., Ltd's 50kt coal needle coke project has basically completed now; parters for the project have also been settled and will be announced later, accordimg to the person in charge.
Shanxi Hongte Coal Chemical Industry Co., Ltd's three workshops of the 50kt needle coke production facilities have all complete maintenance. It is now at the stage of raw material treatment, and is expected to officially start production in mid November.
ICC News comment that though there are a lot of projected that have just started or resumed operation, there are many that are capable of producing calcined needle coke at scale in a short period of time; taking into account of supply-demand and products, the supply of needle coke will remain stable by December.