Grid · Oct 18, 2026, 16:52
EU raises minimum import prices on GOES transformer steel and cores
The EU has raised minimum prices on imported transformer steel. Steelmakers like it, but grid equipment makers say Europe cannot make enough of the right kind.
Illustration (AI-generated)
Electrical steel of the kind used in transformer cores.
Key takeaways
- On 18 September the EU raised minimum import prices for GOES, the special steel inside most transformers.
- Only two EU mills make it; their market share fell from 66% to 43% in four years.
- Transformer makers warn the move will raise costs and slow grid building.
- The measures are temporary and end in February 2027 unless made permanent.
What happened
On 18 September the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, set preliminary safeguard measures on a specialty steel. These raise the minimum price for imported steel and for imported transformer cores. They are temporary and expire in February 2027, IEEE Spectrum reports.
What GOES is
The steel is grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES). It is iron mixed with silicon, with its tiny crystals lined up in one direction. That cuts energy loss when alternating current flips back and forth. A transformer, the device that steps power up or down in voltage, usually has a GOES core.
Sources
- Transformer Steel Becomes a Trade Flashpoint in Europe · IEEE Spectrum · energy
