The Russian steel producer Amurmetall has sent an open letter to the chairman of the Russian government, Mr. Viktor Zubkov, seeking a tightening of scrap export regulations.
In its letter, Amurmetall has proposed an increase of €60/mt in the export duty on scrap, as well as a complete ban on scrap exports via Russia's Far East border.
Although the Russian government is planning a gradual limitation of scrap exports as a part of its strategy for the development of the country's metallurgical industry in the period up to 2015, the domestic steelmakers are already urging the necessity of scrap export limitations.
Amurmetall is the only Russian steel producer which uses the EAF method in production of both longs and flats. For 2008, the mill has made projections for steel production using a total of 2.3 million metric tons of scrap.
Amurmetall has also received support from Russia's Khabarovsk regional administration in its quest to limit scrap exports.