On October 18, the Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) announced production and sales data for the third quarter, ended on September 30, 2011. According to the company statement, NLMK's crude steel output in the third quarter decreased to 2.9 million mt, down 3.6 percent compared to the previous quarter. At the main production site in Lipetsk, crude steel output increased by two percent to 2.4 million mt compared to the second quarter.
The total sales volume of steel products of NLMK Group in the third quarter is reported to be 3.4 million mt, up 12.3 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year. In the third quarter, NLMK saw the total sales volume of steel products at its main site at Lipetsk increase to 2.6 million mt, up 12.2 percent year on year but down 0.5 percent compared to the previous quarter.
NLMK also stated that its steel output growth estimate for the fourth quarter of 2011 is 10 percent, mostly driven by the launch of the new blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace at NLMK's main production site in Lipetsk.