June's needle coke market performs poorly as dragged by downstream electrode market: Monthly review

ICC News: Transactions on the market was flat in June. On the domestic needle coke front, Anshan Research Institute of Thermo-Energy and Baosteel Chemical are the only plants in operation, with the former maintaining a monthly output of 2,800t, which are all supplied to Kaifeng Carbon Plant.
According to sources from the company, it plans to suspend production and carry out maintenance in late June. Given the continued weak demand from electrode market, the company wishes to take this period of time to adjust production procedures and sales strategies in hope of getting breakthroughs from lithium battery anode material market. At present, prevailing price for its coal-based needle coke is 5,900-6,100 yuan/mt, and price of green coke is 5,300 yuan/mt.
Technological upgrade at Jinzhou petrochemical has basically completed. ICC News learned that the company has made decisions from the whole prospect to restart needle coke production in July.
Needle coke production at Baosteel chemical will continue into mid-August from the middle of June, with a monthly output of 4,000t; afterwards, they will began the production of pitch coke. Right now, prevailing price for needle coke is 5,000-5,200 yuan/ton, shipping included.
On June's import market, for petroleum needle coke, offer price from Japan's Petrocokes Ltd is $1,300 (HSP $1,400), and that is $1,600-$1,700 from US Seadrift, $850(HSP $950) from Phillips 66, $1,100 from JX Holdings.
For coal-based needle coke, offer price $1,000-1,100 from C-Chem and $1,000 from Mitsubishi Chemical.