Turkey’s MMK Metalurji Resumes Steel Production After Earthquake

Christopher Rivituso | Posted on February 28, 2023 |

Turkey's MMK Metalurji is resuming steel production following several major earthquakes that rocked the country's southern and central regions. The first two earthquakes occurred on February 6th, while another smaller quake occurred on February 20th. That same day, Russian parent company Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel (MMK) declared that specialists inspected the production site and units and found "the plant in Dörtyol avoided notable damage."

Despite the fortuitous outcome, steel production at Dörtyol is to resume in steps. MMK said the process will start with pickling and reversing stands, though the port resumed full activity late last week. The facility lies in south-central Turkey's Hatay province – one of the regions most impacted by the earthquakes.

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Reports indicate that the facility can produce up to 2.3 million metric tons of hot rolled coil per year via a single electric arc furnace site. MMK Metalurji also has an HDG line with a capacity of 900,000 metric tons per year, which it achieves using hot and cold rolled coil as feedstock. The site can also roll 755,000 metric tons of cold rolled coil annually. Further downstream, the site can produce up to 400,000 metric tons of pre-painted, galvanized coil.

Flats and longs producer İskenderun Demir Çelik (İsdemir) also plans to resume production in phases. In a Public Disclosure Platform, the Istanbul-listed company said the plant initially went off stream to check for damage. İsdemir is also in Hatay Province, which sits along the border northwest border of Syria.

Both of the February 6th earthquakes exceeded 7.0 on the Richter scale, resulting in widespread damage. Meanwhile, estimates put the February 20th quake at a magnitude of 6.4. The most recent reports put the toll from the seismic incidents at 46,000-47,000 persons.

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