Zaporizhstal produced 204 thousand tons of rolled products in May

In May 2024, Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works increased production of commercial rolled steel products by 13% compared to May 2023, to 204 thousand tons. This is stated in the press release of the company.

Pig iron production for the month amounted to 240 thousand tons, which is 4.5% more than in the previous month, and steel – 240.2 thousand tons (+12.6% y/y). Rolled steel production fell by 11.1% y/y, steelmaking – by 13.7% y/y, and pig iron – by 9.4% y/y.

The month-on-month decline in production is likely to be a result of 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. More than UAH 85 million was spent on the blast furnace overhaul.

In January-May, rolled steel production increased by 47.6% year-on-year to 1.05 million tons. Pig iron production amounted to 1.29 million tons (+36.3% y/y), and steel production was 1.25 million tons (+45.3% 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.