Russian pig iron and coking coal producer KOKS Group has announced it operational results for the first half of 2013.
During the first half, KOKS produced 1.02 million mt of pig iron, down four percent compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. In the given quarter, the company's coking coal output increased by eight percent year on year to 784,000 mt, mainly due to the successful commissioning of the Butovskaya mine at the end of May this year, while its iron ore output amounted to 2.36 million mt, unchanged compared to the same period of 2012. In the first half, KOKS Group's coke output decreased by three percent to 1.24 million mt compared to the first half of 2012.
KOKS stated that the pig iron production at its Tulachermet plant declined by four percent because the blast furnace No.2 was idled for maintenance works in May-June. Currently, blast furnace No. 2 is fully operational.