Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) has announced its production and sales data for the first quarter of the current year. According to the company’s statement, NLMK's crude steel output in the first quarter totaled 4.21 million mt, up 11 percent compared to the previous quarter and rising almost one percent year on year, due to the completion of the first stage of capital repairs at NLMK Lipetsk BF and BOF operations in the last quarter of the previous year.
In the first quarter, NLMK Group's total steel product sales increased by eight percent to 4.5 million mt compared to the previous quarter due to the increase in the sales of both semi-finished and high-value-added products, while falling by two percent year on year.
In the first quarter of 2020, domestic sales totaled three million mt, up four percent quarter on quarter driven by the growth in the sale of semis used for manufacturing oil and gas pipes in Russia, while rising by 12 percent compared to the same quarter of 2019. On the other hand, the company’s external sales totaled 1.38 million mt, up by seven percent quarter on quarter amid higher sales volumes of finished high-value-added products to Turkey and the EU, while decreasing by 31.3 percent year on year.