India's Iron Ore Imports to Reach Seven-Year High in FY26

28 Mar 2026 CW Team

India's imports of iron ore are forecast to rise to a seven-year high in the fiscal year ending on March 31, with volumes seen at about 12 million (mn) to 14 million (mn) tonne (t) as a shortage of high-grade ore prompts additional shipments. The increase would more than double volumes from the previous year and reflects stronger procurement by JSW Steel for its mills in Maharashtra and Karnataka.\n\nIndustry sources said the bulk of imports this fiscal year came from Brazil and Oman, which together accounted for about 70 per cent of total shipments. Rare cargoes such as BHP's Jimblebar Fines were directed to India amid discounts and shifting Chinese demand, and market participants said opportunistic purchases supported higher volumes.\n\nDomestic iron ore output was expected to reach 305 mn t in 2025-26, up from 289 mn t in the prior year, as mines increased production. Exports were projected at about 29 mn t, up around 26 per cent, with roughly 85 per cent of shipments destined for China and largely comprising low-grade ore not used by domestic mills.\n\nPellet imports that had risen last year from Iran were expected to decline amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and associated trade uncertainties. From April to February, pellet volumes were recorded at one point eight eight million (mn) t, about six times the level a year earlier, and analysts said ample domestic availability would constrain import demand.\n\nLooking ahead to the fiscal year beginning on April one, mines were expected to ramp up output while import needs would continue to depend on grade requirements and plant-level supply dynamics. Observers indicated that continued procurement by large mill groups and shifting global pellet flows would shape trade and influence price and supply stability across the steelmaking value chain.

Infrastructure Urban

30 May 2026

Vedanta Secures AA+ Rating from ICRA

Vedanta Group has received its highest domestic credit rating in over a decade after ICRA upgraded the long-term ratings of Vedanta Limited and Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited to AA+ with a Stable outlook. Talwandi Sabo Power Limited was also upgraded to AA-/Stable from A+/Watch Developing, while the group’s short-term rating was reaffirmed at A1+.The rating action marks Vedanta’s highest domestic credit rating since 2014. Vedanta Limited and Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited, two of the largest entities emerging from the demerger, together account for over 75 per cent of the group’s long-..

Netrasemi Launches Edge AI Chip A2000

Fabless semiconductor startup Netrasemi has launched its flagship Edge AI system-on-chip, A2000, after achieving successful silicon bring-up. Fabricated at TSMC’s 12 nm technology node, the chip is designed for on-device AI, smart vision, real-time video analytics and secure edge computing.A2000 features Netrasemi’s in-house Neural Processing Unit, Vision Processing Unit, Image Signal Processor, crypto engines and other hardware acceleration IP cores. It also uses the company’s patented heterogeneous graph-stream parallel processing architecture.The chip targets applications such as smar..

Sigenergy Launches AI Agent For Energy Systems

Sigenergy has introduced SigenAgent, described as the energy industry’s first all-domain AI agent, during its ‘AI in All’ event. The platform is designed to move solar-and-storage systems from reactive hardware to autonomous, goal-driven energy systems for households and businesses.SigenAgent works through a continuous loop of perception, reasoning and action. It analyses real-time factors such as weather patterns, electricity prices and grid conditions to determine and execute the most efficient operating strategy. Users can set broad goals, such as reducing electricity bills or securin..