Nippon Steel Corporation, the largest steel mill in Japan, announced that it will delay the restart of the No. 3 blast furnace at its Nagoya works due to the slower recovery of steel demand caused by China’s epidemic-related lockdowns.

The blast furnace is currently undergoing renovation work, which cost Nippon Steel 49 billion yen. The restart was originally scheduled by end of June.

However, owing to the continuously unstable supply chain, the steel demand for steel in Japan and abroad has decreased, so the operation of this blast furnace will be suspended for an unsure period of time.