Evraz posts increase in crude steel production in Q1

Russian mining and steelmaking company Evraz Group has announced its production results for the first quarter of the current year, stating that its crude steel production increased by 1.4 percent to 3.91 million mt compared to the same quarter of the previous year. In the first quarter this year, the company's pig iron production decreased by 0.4 percent to 3.13 million mt, finished steel production declined by 1.1 percent to 2.2 million mt and coke production contracted by 6.2 percent to 285,000 mt, all year on year.
 
Evraz said that the decline in production volumes was due to the lower demand and increased competition for construction products in Russia and for flat rolled products in North America.
 
According to the company's statement, in the first quarter of the current year, production of iron ore products (sinter and pellets) in Russia increased by three percent quarter on quarter after completion of maintenance works at one of EVRAZ  ZSMK's sintering machines in November 2014. The slight decline of two percent in pellet production by EVRAZ KGOK is attributable to fewer working days in the quarter. The share of EVRAZ's own concentrate in production of sinter and pellets in Russia remained unchanged at 79 percent.