Ukrainian mining and steel producing group Metinvest has announced that in the third quarter this year its crude steel production remained stable quarter on quarter at 1.982 million mt as the five percent decline in output at its subsidiary Azovstal was compensated by almost the same increase at Ilyich SW.
The holding’s merchant pig iron production in the third quarter decreased by 13 percent to 290,000 mt as a certain volume was redirected for steel production at Illyich SW. In the meantime, commercial slab production increased over the same period by seven percent to 519,000 mt owing to a 122,000 mt rise in output at Illyich SW, the official report reads.
In the finished steel segment, Metinvest has reported an eight percent decline quarter on quarter in the third quarter to 1.417 million mt. In particular, the company decreased flats production by nine percent to 1.170 million mt. The main reason was the stoppage of mill 1700 at Illyich SW from August 27 for maintenance and modernization works. In addition, there was a decrease in orders from EU-based re-rolling companies amid the annual scheduled maintenance works in August.
Over the first nine months of 2019, Metinvest reported a six percent increase year on year in crude steel production to 5.597 million mt. Commercial pig iron output decreased by 29 percent to 847,000 mt and slab production increased by 26 percent to 1.4 million mt owing to the redirection of pig iron to the steel production after the new equipment launch at Illyich SW. Metinvest’s finished steel output rose by only one percent year on year in the January-September period to 4.455 million mt, with flats accounting for almost 85 percent of the volume.