Steel production in the Czech Republic in 2025 reached 2.43 million tons, unchanged from the same period last year, remaining at the lowest level in history, while consumption remained at 5.5 million tons, which is the lowest figure in history, with the exception of the financial crisis in 2009, reports the Association of steel producers of the Czech Republic and Slovakia Steel Union.
As Kallanish notes, the drop in crude steel production is largely due to the deterioration and possible closure of crude steel production at the Nova Hut plant, the former Liberty Ostrava plant.
In 2025, the production of finished steel products actually increased by 14% and 61%, respectively, for long and flat rolled products, to 2.07 million tons and 805,000 tons, respectively. However, this was due to the resumption of work at the Nova Hut plant after a new owner was appointed last year. Pipe production increased by 35% to 314,000 tons
."We are facing one of the largest and longest-lasting crises caused by external factors that fundamentally disrupt economic stability on a European scale and weaken the competitiveness of the European Union," says Roman Heide, member of the Steel Union's Supervisory Board and Executive Director of Trinecke Zelezarny.
EU factories are under threat due to cheap imports, high energy prices and increased and unstable prices for emissions quotas, he notes. The emissions trading system is unpredictable and subject to market speculation that we cannot control. Thus, the costs of European producers are constantly increasing, while their competitiveness continues to decline," he adds.
The development ignores economic reality and the actual functioning of the market "in favor of ideologically motivated approaches," says Heide.
Czech steel imports increased by 900,000 tons last year to 7.5 million tons, while exports grew at a slower pace to 3.4 million tons.
Author: Adam Smith Austria
Kallanish.com
