Revenue of Metinvest B.V. (the Netherlands), the parent company of the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group, in November 2020 increased by 8.4%, or $73 million, compared to the previous month, to $941 million from $868 million.
According to the published preliminary unaudited consolidated monthly results of the company’s financial statements, the overall rate of EBITDA amounted to $263 million in November, which is $23 million more than in October ($240 million), while EBITDA from participation in the joint venture was $53 million (in October $56 million).
According to the financial statements, the adjusted EBITDA of the metallurgical division of the group for November 2020 amounted to “plus” $136 million (in October, “plus” $140 million), including $10 million from participation in the joint venture ($9 million); EBITDA of the mining division – $142 million (in October $128 million), including from the joint venture – $43 million ($47 million). The management company spent $8 million ($7 million).
Total revenue in November consisted of $759 million ($689 million in October) for the metallurgical division, $268 million ($228 million) for the mining division, and intragroup sales of $86 million ($49 million).
The total debt of the company in November increased by $8 million compared to October, to $2.940 billion from $2.932 billion, whiles the amount of cash increased by $101 million, to $813 million from $712 million.
Funds used in investment activities amounted to $81 million and in financial activities to $71 million.
Metinvest received $61 million from the resale of square billets (produced by PJSC Dniprovsky Metallurgical Plant of the Industrial Union of Donbas corporation) in November in the amount of 138,000 tonnes. In addition, $120 million was received from the resale of 225,000 tons of flat-rolled products, 67,000 tonnes of long rolled products for $34 million, and 113,000 tonnes of cast iron for $44 million.
In general, the company in November sold 517,000 tonnes of semi-finished products for $222 million, 801,000 tonnes of finished metal products for $454 million, and 165,000 tonnes of coke for $34 million.
In November, the group sold 1.589 million tonnes of iron ore for $172 million, and 49,000 tonnes of coal concentrate for $6 million.
Metinvest, the largest Ukrainian mining and metallurgical holding, in 2020 increased steel production by 9% compared to 2019, to 8.268 million tonnes, cast iron by 7%, to 8.475 million tonnes, and total coke production by 3%, to 4.808 million tonnes.
According to a press release from the parent company Metinvest B.V. on the results of operating activities for 2020, the group in the fourth quarter of 2020 reduced the production of cast iron by 9% compared to the previous quarter, to 2.105 million tonnes due to a decrease in production at both Mariupol plants.
Thus, the decline at Illich Iron and Steel Works amounted to 137,000 tonnes, as blast furnace No. 3 was shut down for a major overhaul in November 2020 and at Azovstal to 63,000 tonnes amid less intensive blast furnace operations due to a planned overhaul of the air separation unit’s oxygen block and changes in the burden composition.
Steel production in the fourth quarter of 2020 decreased by 3% compared to the previous quarter, to 2.118 million tonnes, mainly due to an overhaul of basic oxygen furnace No. 2 at Azovstal in September-October 2020. At the same time, the volume of steel production at Illich Iron and Steel Works remained practically unchanged compared to the previous quarter as hot metal was reallocated to steelmaking.
In 2020, cast iron production increased by 7% compared to last year amid greater production at both Mariupol plants. At Azovstal, production climbed by 328,000 tonnes, as the highly efficient blast furnace No. 3 was launched following its major overhaul and upgrade in June 2019 and a planned major overhaul of blast furnace No. 2 in the fourth quarter of 2019.
At Illich Iron and Steel Works, output increased by 219,000 tonnes, mainly due to a low-base effect caused by the shutdown of blast furnaces No. 3 and 5 for planned overhauls in 2019.
Steel production in 2020 increased by 9% year-over-year mainly due to an increase in production at Illich Iron and Steel Works by 512,000 tonnes amid the reallocation of hot metal to steelmaking. The increase in production at Azovstal by 178,000 tonnes was caused by an increase in hot iron production.
In the fourth quarter of 2020, the production of semi-finished products decreased by 17% compared to the previous quarter, to 816,000 tonnes. At the same time, the decrease in cast iron production amounted to 107,000 tonnes as hot metal was redirected to make steel and downstream products at Illich Iron and Steel Works, and marketable slab to 57,000 tonnes due to the redistribution of slab in favor of flat-rolled products. In 2020, the production of merchant semi-finished products increased by 5% compared to 2019, to 3.313 million tonnes as Mariupol plants boosted merchant slab output by 329,000 tonnes in response to greater demand. Consequently, cast iron production declined by 14% y-o-y to 1.088 million tonnes.
In 2020, production of finished goods increased by 4% compared to the previous year, to 5.833 million tonnes. Namely: the production of flat products increased by 132,000 tonnes, to 4.809 million tonnes; the production of long products increased by 80,000 tonnes, to 794,000 tonnes; the production of rail products increased by 30,000 tonnes, to 79,000 tonnes amid an increase in orders from the Ukrainian railways; and the production of tubular products decreased by 4,000 tonnes, to 151,000 tonnes.
In the fourth quarter of 2020, coke production increased to 1.224 million tonnes.
Inhulets mining and processing plant (InGOK, Kryvy Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region), part of Metinvest Group, in 2020 increased production of iron ore concentrate, according to recent data, by 7.7% compared to the previous year, to 11.9 million tonnes.
The enterprise told Interfax-Ukraine that in December it produced 1.019 million tonnes of concentrate with a 66.13% iron content, while extracted 2.608 million tonnes of crude ore.
As reported, InGOK in 2019 increased production of iron ore concentrate by 1.2% compared to the previous year, to 11.052 million tonnes.
The enterprise specializes in extraction and processing of ferruginous quartzites of Inhulets deposit, located in the southern part of the Kryvy Rih iron ore basin. It produces two types of iron ore concentrate with an iron content of 64.8% and 67%.
The production capacity is 14 million tonnes of iron ore concentrate per year.
InGOK is part of Metinvest Group, the main shareholders of which are PrJSC System Capital Management (SCM, Donetsk, 71.24%) and the Smart-Holding (23.76%).
Metinvest Group’s management company is Metinvest Holding LLC.
Mariupol Illich Iron and Steel Works (Donetsk region), a member of the Metinvest Group, in 2020 increased the production of general rolled products, according to recent data, by 12.4% compared to the previous year, to 3.67 million tonnes.
As the enterprise told the Interfax-Ukraine, steel production during this period increased by 13.7%, to 4.05 million tonnes, cast iron by 4.4%, to 4.65 million tonnes, and sinter by 12.8%, to 12.34 million tonnes.
In December, Mariupol Illich Iron and Steel Works produced about 320,000 tonnes of general rolled products, 345,000 tonnes of steel, 330,000 tonnes of cast iron, and 1.06 million tonnes of sinter.
Illich Iron and Steel Works is part of Metinvest Group, the main shareholders of which are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart-Holding (23.76%), jointly managing the company.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of Metinvest Group.
ILLICH IRON AND STEEL, MARIUPOL, METINVEST, METINVEST’S COMPANIES, STEEL
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) and the vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical companies Metinvest have announced the signing of a loan agreement in the amount of EUR 62 million to finance and refinance the purchase of machinery and equipment for its iron ore enterprises (GOK).
“The seven-year credit facility was granted with a two-year grace period for principal repayment,” the group said in a press release.
“This news marks the culmination of significant efforts since July and is an important milestone in our history, as the facility is our first from an international financial institution. At Metinvest, we share the values of BSTDB and intend to use this financing to make our business more efficient, as well as to increase our overall contribution towards the Black Sea region’s economic wellbeing,” Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the Chief Executive Officer of Metinvest, said.
“Working with an international financial institution has been a highly positive new experience for Metinvest. I would like to express my gratitude to the BSTDB team for their continued support throughout the process and for helping to make this transaction happen. We are proud of this new partnership and are eager to develop it further,” Alexander Lyubarev, the Director of Corporate Finance and Treasury at Metinvest, reported.
“We are happy to assist Metinvest, a leading manufacturer and employer in Ukraine, in implementing its development and capital expenditure program focused on improved production technology, efficiency and environmental impact. Given the importance of this sector to the country and its export potential, this operation will have an important developmental impact in Ukraine. As a regional development bank, we welcome that the group plans to buy new equipment from and export its products to other BSTDB member countries, thus strengthening the regional cooperation,” BSTDB President Dmitry Pankin noted.
Metinvest B.V. (the Netherlands), the parent company of the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group, in January-September 2020 reduced capital investments by 40% compared to the same period in 2019 – to $460 million.
Investment cuts were planned, according to Thursday’s preliminary unaudited interim financial results for the nine months of 2020.
“In line with the Group’s 2020 CAPEX priorities for critical asset maintenance and the completion of ongoing strategic investment projects, investments in maintenance and repairs decreased by 39%, while investments in strategic projects were reduced by 43%, which brought their share in the total volume of capital investments to 67% and 33%, respectively, in January-September 2020 (65% and 35% in the nine months of 2019),” the report says.
At the same time, it is noted that Metinvest has made progress in the following key strategic projects: modernization of the 1700 mill at the Mariupol-based Illich Iron and Steel Works (equipment tests are ongoing; a new coiler was installed and the production of the first coils was carried out in November 2020); construction of an air separation unit at the Illich plant; modernization of concentrating equipment at Central Mining and Processing Plant (MPP) (completed in March 2020); construction of a cyclic-flow technology at the Northern MPP (the second stage for transporting rocks) and Inhulets Mining (InGOK, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region) (Skhidny tract); and completion of the first stage of modernization of the OK-306 roasting machine at Pivnichny MPP.
“A special priority in 2020 is given to the environmental agenda, in which the main current project is the reconstruction of the sinter plant at the Illich plant, which is expected to be completed next year. Many other initiatives have also advanced this year, including the reconstruction of the gas treatment facilities of the casting yard and the bunker rack of blast furnaces. No. 3 at the Illich plant (completed in March 2020) and converters No. 1 and No. 2 at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works (basic and detailed engineering and technical documentation is being developed),” the document says.
