Russian mining and steelmaking company Evraz Group has announced its operational results for the fourth quarter and the whole year of 2019, stating that in the last quarter its crude steel production increased by 2.1 percent to 3.4 million mt compared to the third quarter of the year and this was mainly due to higher production volumes at EVRAZ ZSMK after scheduled capital repairs in the July-August period ended. In 2019, its crude steel production rose by 6.1 percent to 13.81 million mt year on year as the blast furnace No.3 underwent a lengthier and more complex process of capital repair in 2018 versus the blast furnace No.1 in 2019.
In the fourth quarter, the company’s raw coking coal production declined by 5.3 percent to 5.98 million mt, while its iron ore output fell by 1.3 percent to 3.28 million mt, both quarter on quarter. On the other hand, the company’s raw coking coal production in 2019 amounted to 26.14 million mt rising by 8.1 percent, and its iron ore output totaled 13.52 million mt, up 1.8 percent, both year on year.
Meanwhile, in the fourth quarter of last year, steel sales of Evraz totaled 3.61 million mt, up 6.6 percent from the previous quarter. In the given period, sales of semi-finished products increased by 17.7 percent to 1.70 million mt due to higher semi-finished product sales from Russia to the export markets amid greater production volumes and a sharp increase in slab sales in North America amid greater demand from customers. Meanwhile, the producer’s finished steel sales declined by 1.7 percent to 1.91 million mt. In 2019, the company’s steel sales totaled 13.5 million mt, up 10.4 percent year on year; including 5.84 million mt of semi-finished sales, up 22.8 percent, and 7.66 million mt of finished steel sales, up 2.4 percent, all year on year basis.