ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih, Ukraine-based integrated steel mill, has decided to suspend some activities at its production facilities due to the coronavirus emergency nationwide.
According to the company’s official statement, the operations of Blooming-1, the light section mill No. 3 of rolling shop No.1, the central electrotechnical laboratory and the electrical repair shop have been almost completely stopped. Some employees are on leave, while others are working remotely.
Nevertheless, the possible toughening of restrictive measures at the state level, in particular the potential ban on all industrial activities in the event of a state of emergency in Ukraine, has raised the concerns of the company. It is wrong just to copy the practices of other countries, not considering the situation in Ukraine and the basic differences in its economy, the company stated. “If the government sharply stops operation of some industries, which previously supported Ukraine’s economy efficiently, the whole country will feel this very rapidly. For example, Ukraine’s metallurgy is fully based on the processing of its own iron ore. If excavation of iron ore in the context of the state of emergency is stopped, metallurgy will stop too. In addition, our company will not be able to work without imported coal, on which we depend completely. The stoppage of coke batteries, due to absence of coal, will lead to irreversible destruction,” ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih official Vladimir Tkachenko stated.
As SteelOrbis reported previously, in the January-February period this year ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih’s crude steel production decreased by 10.4 percent year on year to 843,000 mt. As for finished steel products, the company’s output increased by 12.7 percent year on year to 845,000 mt.