MMK restarts production at Turkish asset following earthquake

MOSCOW. Feb 20 (Interfax) - Russia's MMK Group is restarting production at its Turkish asset following the earthquake.

MKK said in a press release that it had adopted a "phased plan to resume production" starting with a continuous picking unit and reversing mill. Their products should ensure the full capacity utilization of the MMK Group plant in Dilovasi with a continuous hot dip galvanizing unit and a polymer coating unit.

Specialists are carrying out additional reinforcement of various structures at the facility and preparations for the launch of other units. Hot rolling capacity, stopped in November as business activity slowed, is not yet being recommissioned.

"Making sure that we can secure safe production, we decided to gradually resume our work. This is important both for the people themselves and for the company as a whole. Our products will now be very important for the restoration of the areas that were damaged by the earthquake, and we are ready to contribute to the recovery and reconstruction of the country," said Denis Kvasov, Director of MMK Metalurji.

MMK told Interfax on February 6 that MMK Metalurji was not damaged by the powerful earthquake in the early hours of that morning.

MMK Metalurji includes an electric steelmaking shop with a casting and rolling module, a cold rolling mill, a steel service center with a continuous hot dip galvanizing plant and a polymer coating plant in Iskenderun, and a steel service center with a continuous hot dip galvanizing plant and a polymer coating plant in Istanbul. The design capacity of the plant is 2.3 million tonnes.

The Turkish MMK asset, as well as the plant itself and its controlling shareholder Viktor Rashnikov, were included in the SDN sanctions list last summer. OFAC's license to wind down operations with MMK Metalurji was issued until the end of January 2023.