Ukrainian mining and steel producing group Metinvest has announced its operational results for the January-September period of the current year.
Accordingly, in the first nine months this year, Metinvest’s total output of pig iron increased by 11 percent year on year to 7.05 million mt, following the acquisition of DMK’s integral property complex. Production of both Mariupol plants increased. At Ilyich Steel, production increased by 255,000 mt given the shutdown of blast furnaces No. 3 and No. 4 for major overhauls in the first half last year, while at Azovstal, production increased by 90,000 mt.
In the first nine months, Metinvest’s crude steel output totaled 6.93 million mt, increasing by 13 percent year on year, due to a 207,000 increase in production at Ilyich Steel and a 190,000 increase in production at Azovstal, amid higher pig iron output at the Mariupol plants.
In the given period, Metinvest’s production of merchant semi-finished products amounted to 2.46 million mt, decreasing by one percent year on year.
In the January-September period, the group’s production of finished steel rose by 23 percent year on year to 5.34 million mt. In particular, its flats production increased by 859,000 mt year on year to 4.43 million mt, due to higher production of hot rolled coil amid improved productivity of the hot strip mill 1700 at Ilyich Steel and an increase in orders for plate at Azovstal.
In the mining sector, Metinvest’s total iron ore concentrate output rose by four percent compared to the same period of the previous year to 23.67 million mt. This was due to greater ore production at all iron ore assets, as well as the effect of operational improvements. Meanwhile, the group’s output of merchant iron ore products fell by six percent year on year to 13.46 million mt, while the output of iron ore pellets rose by 32 percent year on year to 4.85 million mt in the given quarter.
Metinvest’s coking coal concentrate output in the first nine months this year rose by 80 percent year on year to 4.05 million mt.