According to operational data, steel production by Ukrainian iron and steel plants reduced by 11% to 19.693 million tons in the period of January-August 2014, compared with the corresponding period of 2013, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reports, citing the Metallurgprom association of iron and steel plants (Dnepropetrovsk).
Production of general rolled products also reduced by 11% to 17.340 million tons and production of pig iron by 6% to 18.203 million tons in the first eight months of this year.
Ukrainian iron and steel plants produced 1.646 million tons of steel, 1.491 million tons of general rolled products, and 1.503 million tons of pig iron in August while, in the preceding month, they produced 2.463 million tons of steel (a reduction of 33.2% compared with July), 2.195 million tons of rolled metal (down 32.1%), and 2.245 million tons of pig iron (down 33.1%) in the previous month.
Initially, Ukrainian iron and steel plants’ plans for 2014 provided for increase of steel smelting compared with 2013 by approximately 5.6% to 34.5 million tons, rolled metal by 5% to 30.5 million tons, and iron by 3.1% to 30 million tons. However, several iron and steel plants have suspended operations due to lack of electricity or raw materials and coke as a result of the fighting in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions.
In 2013 the country's iron and steel plants increased steel production by 1% to 32.684 million tons, kept production of general rolled products unchanged at approximately 29.038 million tons, and increased production of pig iron by 2% to 29.111 million tons compared with 2012. production of general rolled products in Ukraine reduced by 9% to 28.957 million tons, steel by 7% to 32.394 million tons, and pig iron by 1% to 28.513 million tons in 2012 compared with 2011.
