Ukrainian coke plants in January-July of this year increased the production of metallurgical coke with a 6% moisture content by 2% compared to the same period last year, to 5.749 million tonnes.
The Ukrkoks association of coke and chemical enterprises (Dnipro) told Interfax-Ukraine that in July 826,000 tonnes of coke were produced.
The director general of Ukrkoks, Anatoliy Starovoit, told Interfax-Ukraine that the enterprises continue to work at the request of metallurgical plants, satisfying them with coke in full, taking into account imports.
According to him, coke chemical plants are provided with coking coal for production programs.
According to Ukrkoks, in 2020 coke plants reduced the production of metallurgical coke with a 6% moisture content by 3.9% compared to 2019, to 9.66 million tonnes. The enterprises were supplied with 27.2% of domestic coal and concentrate and 72.8% of imports. In general, 3.618 million tonnes of raw coal and concentrate of domestic production were supplied to the coke plants over the year, some 9.675 million tonnes were imported. In general, 13.293 million tonnes of coal were supplied to the plants, including 5.202 million tonnes imported from the Russian Federation, 3.523 million tonnes from the United States and Canada, 873,300 tonnes from Kazakhstan, and 76,000 tonnes from Poland.
JSC Dniprotiazhmash (Dnipro), a large enterprise of heavy engineering, part of the scientific and production group Dniprotechservice, in 2020 plans to increase the number of products shipped for the coke industry by 24% (or 153 units) compared to 2019, to 795 units, Viacheslav Pronsky, the marketing director of the enterprise, has said.
“We’ve mastered the equipment for coke oven batteries relatively recently – we had to do it after the related plant Slovtiazhmash in Sloviansk (Donetsk region), also part of Dniprotechservice, unfortunately, did not survive the conflict time, a particularly acute period of events in the east of Ukraine in 2014-2015. We have adopted technologies, documentation and expertise from our colleagues, and for the fifth year we have been producing this equipment,” he told the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
According to the top manager, in 2020 Dniprotiazhmash intends to increase the share of coke-chemical equipment in the total sales of equipment for the mining and metallurgical sector from 23% in 2019 to 25% (or about UAH 186 million) in the current year, which was also facilitated by the shipment of two coal loading machines worth more than UAH 30 million each one.
“Our customers are almost all coke-chemical enterprises in Ukraine (in Avdiyivka, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Kamyanske, Kryvy Rih and Mariupol) and Kazakhstan (Temirtau), as well as several enterprises in Russia. This year, negotiations have begun, and we are already participating in tenders for coke-chemical products for Western consumers, in particular for all of ArcelorMittal’s assets in Europe,” Pronsky said.
PJSC Zaporizhkoks, one of the largest producers of coke-chemical products in Ukraine, which is part of the Metinvest group, in January-November this year increased its production by 3.2% compared to the same period last year – up to 779,400 tonnes.
According to the company, 67,600 tonnes of blast furnace coke were produced in November, 68,300 tonnes in October.
“The decrease in coke production in November 2020 is due to the overhaul of coke oven battery No. 6 with a total budget of UAH 90 million,” the company explained.
As reported, Zaporizhkoks in 2019 increased production by 0.3% compared to the previous year – up to 827,500 tonnes.
Zaporizhkoks produces about 10% of coke produced in Ukraine, owns a full technological cycle of processing coke-chemical products. In addition, it produces coke oven gas and pitch coke.
Ukrainian coke chemical plants in January-July 2018 increased production of 6% moisture metallurgical coke by 6.1% compared to the same period last year, to 6.311 million tonnes.
The Ukrkoks association (Dnipro) told Interfax-Ukraine some 944,000 tonnes of coke were produced in July.
Ukrkoks Director General Anatoliy Starovoit said coke chemical plants continue to work as normal, providing metallurgical enterprises with coke according to the existing production plans.
“However, in recent days the demand on the part of metallurgists for the supply of coke has decreased: for example, in the last 10-15 days the daily production of gross coke was on average 25,000-26,000 tonnes, while earlier the figure stood at 28,000-29,000 tonnes. Probably, blast furnace operators are repairing the aggregates or for another reason. Coke has not been imported in recent months,” the association said.
At the same time, it is noted that imports of coking coal increased and coking plants are provided with coal in sufficient quantities.
According to preliminary data, in 2018 it is planned to increase pig iron smelting by 12.1% compared to the previous year, to 22.5 million tonnes. This volume of cast iron production requires 11.250 million tonnes of coke (an increase of 8.2% compared to 2017), which, in turn, requires 17.8-17.9 million tonnes of coking coal (an increase of 24.6%).
In 2018, the volume of supplies of coking coals of Ukrainian extraction is expected to be about 3.3 million tonnes, while 14.6 million tonnes is to be imported.
Previously, the plan for 2018 foresaw the volume of pig iron smelting in the amount of 22 million tonnes.
Ukrainian by-product coke plants increased production of lump coke with 6% moisture by 4.7% in January-March 2018 year-over-year, to 2.705 million tonnes.
The Ukrkoks association of -product coke enterprises (Dnipro) told Interfax-Ukraine that some 930,000 tonnes of coke was made in March.
Ukrkoks Director General Anatoliy Starovoit said that the plants stably produce coke. Avdiyivka by-product coke plant and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih are loaded almost in full.
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih launched the reconstructed coke-oven battery five. It is planned that the battery will reach its full capacity in May, Starovoit said.
He said that in January-March 2018 some 233,000 tonnes of coke was imported.
“ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih did not import coke in March… Azovstal and Dniprovsky steel works imported coke last month,” he said.
