Qarmet boosts steel output by 22% in two yearsPresident Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Andrei Lavrentyev, chairman of the board of steelmaker Qarmet (formerly ArcelorMittal Temirtau), the presidential press service said Monday.Lavrentyev reported that Qarmet has increased steel output by 22% over the past two years, while production of coal concentrate rose 26% and iron ore output grew 32%. The company has also expanded its product range, raising the number of steel grades it produces from 260 to 350.He added that the plant is developing new premium steel grades, including products intended for nuclear power plant construction.Tokayev stressed the importance of “continuing comprehensive modernization of the enterprise, addressing social issues, improving environmental conditions and expanding machine-building production.”ArcelorMittal had owned Kazakhstan’s largest steel plant, ArcelorMittal Temirtau, since the 1990s. The government terminated cooperation with the company in the second half of 2023 after a series of accidents that resulted in worker fatalities. The former ArcelorMittal assets — the steel mill in Temirtau and the pipe plant in Aktau — were acquired for $286 million by Lavrentyev, a co-owner of Kazakh automaker Allur, who subsequently renamed the enterprise Qarmet. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX