Companies@UA: База компаний Украины

Kyiv, August 3 (Interfax) - Ukraine's steel industry reduced finished roll output 34% year-on-year in January-July to 14.579 million tonnes, the Industrial Policy Ministry told Interfax.

Crude steel production plummeted 37% to 16.277 million tonnes and pig iron fell 34% to 14.332 million tonnes.

The country produced 886,000 tonnes of steel pipes, down 42% year-on-year.  Iron ore concentrate production fell 24% to 28.651 million tonnes; prepared iron ore fell 29% to 30.694 million tonnes, including pellets - 19% to 10.879 million tonnes and sinter ore - 33% to 19.814 million tonnes; and crude iron ore was down 28% to 34.362 million tonnes.

Ukrainian coke production fell 24% to 9.849 million tonnes. Metalware production fell 46% to 121,000 tonnes.

Scrap deliveries to Ukrainian steel mills were down 43% from January-July last year to 2.313 million tonnes.

Average daily roll production fell from 85,900 tonnes in 2008 to 72,800 tonnes in July this year and 68,800 tonnes in the seven months. Crude steel fell from 101,300 tonnes to 86,300 tonnes and 76,800 tonnes, respectively; pig iron from 84,700 tonnes to 76,200 tonnes and 67,600 tonnes; pipes from 6,400 tonnes to 5,200 tonnes and 4,200 tonnes; metalware from 800 tonnes to 600 tonnes and 600 tonnes; and coke from 53,500 tonnes to 50,300 tonnes and 46,500 tonnes.

Steel mills received 16,000 tonnes of scrap on average per day in 2008, falling to 12,300 tonnes in July this year and 10,900 tonnes in January-July.  Crude iron ore production averaged at 196,200 tonnes per day in 2008, edging up to 196,700 tonnes in July but falling to 162,100 tonnes in January-July; iron ore concentrate grew from 155,100 tonnes to 164,000 tonnes in July after averaging at 135,100 tonnes; prepared iron ore fell from 173,500 tonnes in 2008 to 164,800 tonnes in July and 144,800 tonnes in the seven months, including sinter from 117,700 tonnes to 103,700 tonnes and 93,500 tonnes, however pellet production, which averaged at 55,800 tonnes per day in 2008, rose to 61,100 tonnes in July but fell to 51,300 tonnes in the seven months.

Steel industry output in Ukraine started to plummet in August due to a drop in demand, particularly in October-December. Some steel mills stopped some of their capacity. However some improvement was seen in May.

Ukraine reduced finished roll output 13% in 2008 to 31.493 million tonnes. The country produced 37.107 million tonnes of crude steel and 30.982 million tonnes of pig iron, in both cases approximately 13% less than in 2007. It produced 2.456 million tonnes of steel pipes in 2008, 6% less.

Iron ore concentrate production fell 7% to 56.696 million tonnes; prepared iron ore fell 12% to 63.452 million tonnes, including pellets - 9% to 20.401 million tonnes and sinter ore - 13% to 43.052 million tonnes; and crude iron ore - 7% to 71.721 million tonnes.

Ukrainian coke production fell 5% to 19.465 million tonnes. Metalware production fell 30% to 299,000 tonnes. Scrap deliveries to Ukrainian steel mills were down 17% from 2007 to 5.824 million tonnes in 2008.