Robust consumer demand has seen Russian domestic zinc consumption increase by about 10-15,000 metric tons a year, and in 2002 demand is expected to outstrip domestic supply for the first time in around 10 year, General Director of the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant Vsevolod Geikhman said. Geikhman said the Chelyabinsk plant increased its 2001 zinc output by 6.73 percent to 155,500 tons on the year and was planning to produce 160,000 tons this year. Also this year the plant will complete the construction of new automated zinc electrolysis facility, which would enable it to increase output in 2003 to 180-200,000 tons a year. In Russia, apart from Chelyabinsk, zinc is produced by the Elektrozinc plant in Vladikavkaz to the tune of 90-100,000 tons a year, and by the small Belovsky zinc plant in the Kemerovo region, which only manages 2-5,000 tons a year. Elektrozinc produces all its zinc under to lling contracts for export leaving Chelyabinsk as the only major supplier to the domestic market. Geikhman said the largest zinc consumers in Russia were steel plants Severstal, Novolipetsk and Magnitogorsk, which use zinc for coating. Among other major zinc consumers are Agrisovgas in the Kaluga region, Domodedovo Metal Constructions Plant near Moscow, Cherepovetsk Steel Rolling Plant and the Chelyabinsk Steel Pipe Plant. All are currently dramatically increasing their zinc requirements. Geikhman also said plants producing alloys for the fast growing Russian.
NSTL
