The Ukrainian mining and steel producing group Metinvest has announced that in January-August 2010, its steel and rolled products division has produced 5.44 million mt of crude steel - up 24.7 percent, 5.114 million mt of semis and finished steel products - up 25.9 percent, and 4.715 million mt of pig iron - up 24.6 percent, all compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, Metinvest's output of large diameter pipes, produced at its pipemaking subsidiary Khartsyzsk Pipe Works (KhPW), decreased by 65 percent year on year to 144,100 mt.
Particularly, in January-August this year, Metinvest's steelmaking subsidiary Azovstal increased its crude steel output by 34 percent to around 3.728 million mt, saw its pig iron production rise by 35.3 percent to 3.235 million mt and its rolled steel production increase by 35.3 percent to about 3.47 million mt, all compared to the corresponding period of 2009.
In addition, in the first eight months of the current year, the pig iron production of Metinvest's Yenakievo Iron and Steel Works rose by 6.1 percent to 1.48 million mt and its rolled steel output climbed up 9.8 percent to about 1.645 million mt, both compared with the same period last year. Meanwhile, the plant's crude steel production went up by 8.2 percent year on year to 1.7 million mt.