The Russian steelmaker and iron ore producer Evraz Group (Evraz) has released its production results for the first quarter of 2009.
Accordingly, in Q1 2009 Evraz registered a 19.9 percent decrease in coke production, a 30.7 percent decline in pig iron production, a 29.3 percent decrease in crude steel output and a 22.8 percent decline in its rolled steel production, all compared to Q1 2008. The respective figures in metric tons were 415,000, 2.58 million, 3.39 million and 3.4 million. During the period in question, Evraz's output of semi-finished products decreased by 10.9 percent to 1.19 million metric tons, its railway products output went down by 30.4 percent to 417,000 metric tons, its flat rolled products output dropped by 30.6 percent to 428,000 metric tons, its construction products output decreased by 36.1 percent to 966,000 metric tons, while its tubular products output increased by 81.4 percent to 265,000 mt, all compared to the first quarter of 2008.
In addition, during the period in question, Evraz's mining division saw a 13.8 percent increase in iron ore concentrate production to 946,000 metric tons, but a 29 percent decrease in sinter production to 1.372 million metric tons and a 21.6 percent drop in pellet production to 1.224 million metric tons. Furthermore, Evraz mined 2.558 million metric tons of coking coal in Q1 2009, registering an increase of 5.7 percent compared to the same period last year.
In Q1 2009, Evraz decreased its vanadium-added alloys and chemicals output by 64.8 percent year on year to 1.667 million mt, but increased its vanadium-added slag production by 14.2 percent to 3.121 million mt.