According to the data issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, in 2009 Russia registered a 14.4 percent decrease in its pipe production to 6.655 million mt.
In particular, in 2009 Russian output of electric-welded pipes decreased by 8.4 percent, its production of welded pipes went down by 12.2 percent, production of seamless pipes saw a reduction of 24.5 percent, output of casing pipes decreased by 20.9 percent, production of drill pipes dropped by 48.4 percent, while output of tubing increased by 6.4 percent, all compared to 2008.
Accordingly, the decrease in pipe output was caused by the reduction of consumption in Russian industrial sectors, such as oil and gas, machine building and construction. Russian domestic consumption in January-November 2009 did not exceed 70.9 percent of the corresponding period of 2008.
In 2009, of domestic producers an increase in pipe production was registered only by OMK's Vyksa Steel Works (Vyksa) - up 7.5 percent year on year to 1.5 million mt. Meanwhile, TMK's Russian subsidiaries saw negative results compared to 2008: Taganrog Metallurgical Works saw a 0.4 percent decrease in output to 604,400 mt, Seversky Tube Works registered an 8.8 percent fall in output to 597,300 mt, Sinarsky Pipe Plant saw its output decline by 13.9 percent to 493,800 mt, and Volzhsky Pipe Plant registered a 21.7 percent decrease to 642,200 mt. In addition, ChTPZ Group's Pervouralsky Novotrubny Worksa decreased its pipe output by 20.4 percent and the group's Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant saw its production fall by 3.4 percent year on year - to 558,600 mt and 580,700 mt respectively.