Restarted Ukrainian Zaporizhstal steelworks runs at half of capacity

Zaporizhstal iron and steel works, 49.99% owned by Ukrainian mining and steelmaking company Metinvest, has reached 40%-50% of its full capacity since its restart in early April and aims to produce 66,000 mt of steel over the month, a Metinvest spokesperson said April 26.

Located in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia, the coil producer remained in a standby mode for 33 days from the beginning of March, when it was idled shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

After the front line moved away from Zaporizhia, the mill resumed operations, starting with coke and sinter plants and blast furnaces, solving at once logistic problems to supply raw materials and ship finished products.

Currently, Zaporizhstal is operating two of its four blast furnaces – Nos. 3 and 4 – and one of its two steelmaking furnaces, all now running flat out.

It also has restarted some of the rolling facilities, with roughly 5,000 employees involved in production processes.

Zaporizhstal in 2021 produced 4.4 million mt of hot metal, of which 3.9 million mt of steel was made and then converted into 3.3 million mt of rolled products.

The bulk of its saleable products normally comprise hot- and cold-rolled coil and sheet, but in addition to trip and coil rolling mills, the plant also has roll-forming shop.

According to Metinvest, three Ukrainian steel companies are currently operating: Zaporizhstal, Metinvest-owned long rolled steel producer Kamet Steel in Kamianske in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region; and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih in Kryviy Rih, central Ukraine.

Azovstal and Ilyich iron and steel works, both parts of Metinvest, remain idle.

— Ekaterina Bouckley