Steel mills to form new consolidated coking group

Four steel mills comprising Polish Steel Mills (PHS) - Katowice, Sendzimir, Cedler and Florian - are to form Polish Coke Concern (PKK). The consolidation will take place at the beginning of 2003 and may be reinforced by the inclusion of the Jastrzebska Spolka Weglowa (JSW) coal company. JSW, a producer of coking coal, which is to take over the Przyjazn coking plant, which produces around 2.5 million tonnes of coke annually, would play a major role in the consolidation process. "The joining of the coking coal suppliers with the producers and recipients - the steel mills - will lower the operational costs of these plants," said PHS president Jerzy Podsiadlo. "As a result of the consolidation, we will establish the biggest and most modern coking concern in Europe. Its output capacity will top 7.5 million tonnes," he added. The project is being scrutinized by the Economy Ministry. (Puls Biznesu, p. 5) A.C.