Ukrainian mining and steel producing group Metinvest has announced its operational results for 2020.
Accordingly, in 2020, Metinvest’s total output of pig iron increased by seven percent year on year to 8.47 million mt, amid greater production at both Mariupol plants. At Azovstal, production increased by 328,000 mt, as the highly efficient blast furnace No. 3 was launched following its major overhaul and upgrade in June 2019 and the major overhaul of blast furnace No. 2 in the fourth quarter of 2019. In addition, Ilyich Steel’s pig iron production was up by 219,000 mt, mainly due to the low-base effect caused by the shutdown of blast furnaces Nos. 3 and 5 for planned overhauls in 2019.
In 2020, Metinvest’s crude steel output totaled 8.29 million mt, increasing by nine percent year on year, mainly due to a 512,000 increase in production at Ilyich Steel amid a reallocation of pig iron to steelmaking. In addition, Azovstal’s crude steel output increased by 178,000 mt.
In 2020 overall, Metinvest’s production of merchant semi-finished products amounted to 3.31 million mt, increasing by five percent year on year, due to higher merchant slab production at the Mariupol plants in response to greater demand.
In the given period, the group’s production of finished steel rose by four percent year on year to 5.83 million mt. In particular, its flats production increased by 132,000 mt year on year to 4.81 million mt, primarily due to higher production of hot rolled coil, following the reconstruction of the hot strip mill 1700 at Ilyich Steel and steady demand, as well as greater cold rolled product output in response to more orders, which fully compensated for lower production of hot rolled plates.
In the mining sector, Metinvest’s total iron ore concentrate output rose by five percent compared to the same period of the previous year to 30.50 million mt. This was due to an increase in ore production at the three ore mining and processing facilities, the effect of operational improvements, and the use of third-party ore for processing at Central GOK. Meanwhile, the group’s output of merchant iron ore products rose by eight percent year on year to 19.07 million mt. In particular, its merchant concentrate output increased by 32 percent to 14.15 million mt, mainly due to greater overall concentrate output and changes in the order book at Northern GOK, while the output of iron ore pellets fell by 29 percent year on year to 4.92 million mt in 2020.
Metinvest’s coking coal concentrate output in 2020 fell by three percent year on year to 2.88 million mt.
