Zaporizhstal produced 183 thousand tons of rolled products in June

In June 2024, Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works increased its production of commercial rolled metal products by 38.7% compared to June 2023, to 183 thousand tons. This is stated in the press release of the company.

The volume of pig iron smelting for the month amounted to 237 thousand tons, up 0.2% y/y, and steel – 236.7 thousand tons (+48.5% y/y). Rolled steel production fell by 10.3% y/y, steel production by 1.5% y/y and pig iron production by 1.3% y/y.

The company’s performance has been declining month-on-month for two months in a row. In May, this trend was caused by the shutdown of blast furnace No. 2 for overhaul. The work lasted for 6 days, and the blast furnace was re-blown on May 22. Over UAH 85 million was allocated to upgrade the blast furnace. At the same time, in June, the company shut down blast furnace No. 4 for overhaul. The work was scheduled to be completed between June 19 and 26. The total cost of the upgrade is estimated at UAH 92 million.

In January-June, rolled steel production increased by 46.4% year-on-year – to 1.23 million tons. Pig iron production amounted to 1.53 million tons (+33.3% y/y), and steel production was 1.49 million tons (+45.8% y/y).

As GMK Center reported, by the end of 2023 Zaporizhstal  increased production by 50.6% compared to 2022 – up to 7.24 million tons. In particular, the plant produced:

• pig iron – 2.72 million tons (+35.3% y/y);
• steel – 2.47 million tons (+65.4%);
• rolled goods – 2.05 million tons (+57.2%).

Enemy shelling and destruction, interruptions in the supply of raw materials and energy, and disruption of logistics routes due to the blockade of seaports led to a decline in Zaporizhstal’s production performance compared to pre-war levels. In particular, in 2021, the plant produced 4.5 million tons of iron, 3.8 million tons of steel and 3.2 million tons of rolled products. In 2023, the plant operated at an average of 70% of its capacity.