Metallurgical enterprises of Ukraine cut steel smelting by 1% in 2019 compared with 2018, to 20.848 million tonnes.
According to the reference documents of the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, which are available to the Interfax-Ukraine, the output of total rolled metal also decreased 1%, to 18.387 million tonnes, and pig iron production fell by 2%, to 20.064 million tonnes.
At the same time, the agency’s source in the ministry said that scrap metal supplies to metal enterprises last year fell by 10% to 3.011 million tonnes.
In 2019, pipe production fell by 9%, to 1.005 million tonnes, coke – by 7%, to 10.059 million tonnes, and metal products remained at the level of 188,000 tonnes.
Mining enterprises last year increased iron ore production by 4%, to 75.710 million tonnes, production of iron ore concentrate grew by 5%, to 63.084 million tonnes, but they reduced prepared iron ore by 3%, to 51.675 million tonnes, including sinter production that decreased by 2%, to 30.911 million tonnes, and pellets that fell by 3%, to 20.764 million tonnes.
Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises plan to retain smelting of steel at the level of the forecast for July in August 2019, to 1.8 million tonnes.
According to the Ukrmetalurgprom association, the plan for August also provides for the preservation of total pig iron production at the level of 1.8 million tonnes and reduction of total rolled steel smelting by 5.9%, to 1.6 million tonnes from 1.7 million tonnes.
According to the updated data from Ukrmetallurgprom, in January-June 2019, 31.62 million tonnes of iron ore concentrate (105% compared to the same period of 2018), 15.8 million tonnes of sinter (102%), 10.93 million tons of pellets (103%), 5.19 million tonnes of gross coke with 6% moisture (97%), 10.24 million tonnes of pig iron (101%), 10.93 million tonnes of steel (105%), 9.42 million tonnes of rolled metal (102%) and 560,000 tonnes of pipe products (104%).
In June, 1.524 million tonnes of pig iron was produced (less by 9% compared to May 2019), 1.659 million tonnes of steel (91%), 1.5 million tonnes of rolled products (86%).
As of July 9, 2019, 17 out of 21 blast furnaces, seven out of nine open-hearth furnaces, 13 out of 16 converters, six out of 15 electric furnaces and 15 out of 15 continuous casting machines were in operation.
