JFE Steel Concludes First 3-Year Pellet Contract with Ferrexpo

JFE Steel concluded the first long-term contract for Ukrainian pellet. The firm purchases pellet with 65% iron at 300,000 tonnes per year for 3 years from Ferrexpo, a pellet producer headed in Switzerland and operating a plant in Ukraine. Ferrexpo has sought major steel makers in Asia as pellet customer. JFE Steel has sought new material sources in order to realize crude steel production of 33 million tonnes per year.

This is the first long-term contract for JFE Steel with Ukrainian raw material supplier while the firm has previously purchased pellet from Ferrexpo on spot. Ferrexpo has succeeded in the first long-term contract with Japanese steel maker.

Ferrexpo produces pellet at approximately 9 million tonnes per year and 85% of which is exported. The firm has exported pellet mainly for the former Soviet block countries while sought new stable customers in Asia in order to develop new mines and expand pellet outputs.