The largest Ukrainian steel producer, Metinvest, controlled by entrepreneur Rinat Akhmetov, already sent 22,000 tons of hot-rolled products from structural steel grades certified in accordance with the European standard EN 10025 to its new business partner ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Iasi – recently acquired by Akhmetov, according to Profit.ro.

For 2026, the plan is to deliver up to 180,000 tons of hot-rolled raw material from Zaporizhstal to Metinvest's new pipe depot in Romania.

“Zaporizhstal rolled products are used in the manufacture of welded round, square, and rectangular pipes, which comply with European standards EN 10219 and EN 10217 and are widely used in geothermal engineering, the energy sector, and construction, including in fire protection systems. Pipes produced from Zaporizhstal steel fully met the strict requirements during testing, and therefore, we are establishing a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership with our colleagues from Zaporizhstal,” according to Cosmin Toma, CEO of Metinvest Tubular Iasi.

The main markets for pipes produced by Metinvest Tubular Iasi are the domestic market, as well as Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and other European countries. Its maximum production capacity is 240,000 tons per year. 

"Even before the war in Ukraine, Metinvest started building a bridge between the Ukrainian and EU steel industries. For us, this new plant is a unique opportunity to provide jobs for two units simultaneously: in Iasi and Zaporizhzhia," said Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Group.

Separately, Ahmetov has already submitted an offer to take over the Liberty Galați vertically integrated steel mill, the largest steel company in Romania, previously known as Sidex.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: press release)