The International Iron Metallics Association (IIMA) announced May 12 that according to figures compiled by the hot briquetted iron (HBI) Association, the two plants of Metalloinvest's JSC Lebedinsky GOK produced more than 2.2 million metric tons (mt) of HBI in 2010. The combined output last year of the five HBI plants in Venezuela was 1.99 million mt. Steelmakers in Asia (including India) received the largest percentage of HBI shipments in 2010-over 2.1 million mt of HBI, approximately 40 percent of total HBI sales were in the Asia/India region.
IIMA member in Russia in Venezuela accounted for more than 4.2 million mt of HBI sales in 2010, with 3.5 million mt as export sales. Metalloinvest's OEMK exported about 20,000 mt of DRI; Antara Steel of the Malaysian Lion Group and Welspun Maxsteel of India together sol almost 1 million mt of HBI.
Europe, including Russia and CIS countries, accounted for almost 1.9 million mt of HBI (37 percent of total shipments). Sales in North America totaled 491,500 mt (10 percent) of total sales; South America accounted for 369,000 mt (7 percent)-almost exclusively as domestic shipments within Venezuela; the Middle East and North Africa received 325,000 mt (6 percent).