Ukraine’s steel producer Metinvest has completed the acquisition of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Iași in Romania, part of the global steel giant ArcelorMittal, which operates in more than 60 countries.
The plant, based in the city of Iași, produces welded structural pipes for construction, engineering, infrastructure and agriculture, with a maximum annual capacity of 240,000 tonnes.
The Romanian facility is Metinvest’s first production site in the country. Negotiations lasted several months, with the European Commission approving the deal on Nov. 24 under EU merger rules.
Romania’s national competition authority cleared the transaction the following day, according to a Metinvest press release.
“Even before the full-scale war, Metinvest began building a bridge between Ukrainian and EU steelmaking. For us, this new plant is a unique opportunity to provide work for two sites at once: in Iași and Zaporizhzhia,” Metinvest CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov was quoted as saying.
“It is part of our contribution to post-war reconstruction.”
The plant’s location, just 600 kilometers (373 miles) from southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, allows Metinvest to supply up to 180,000 tonnes of hot-rolled coil from one of Ukraine’s largest steel mills, Zaporizhstal JV, each year, according to Metinvest COO Oleksandr Myronenko.
“This will secure regular orders and stable operations for the Romanian plant,” Myronenko was quoted as saying.
The plant has five pipe mills, two longitudinal cutting lines and two coating lines. Metinvest will keep all existing employees in Iași under their current contracts. Integration into Metinvest’s production and organizational chains is scheduled for 2026, the press release says.
Cargo from Iași can reach Romanian ports by rail, but the route is not direct. The most likely path runs through Romania and Moldova to the Danube port of Galați, where trains can unload directly without transferring cargo. The route is commonly used for Ukrainian and Moldovan grain, though fast access to ports is not guaranteed.
Passenger rail data shows the distance between Iași and Galați is about 220-235 kilometers (137-146 miles) and the trip takes about 4 hours. The exact route for freight may vary, and infrastructure constraints can affect travel times and logistics.
Metinvest is Ukraine’s largest steel and mining group, with operations in Ukraine and abroad, including Italy, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, it was one of the world’s leading steel producers.
Russia’s invasion inflicted major losses on Metinvest’s Ukrainian assets. The company lost control of its two largest steel mills – Azovstal and Ilyich Steel in Mariupol – which together accounted for nearly half of its steelmaking capacity before the full-scale war.
Russian occupation and fighting in the region put those plants out of Metinvest’s control, causing severe disruption to output. The group also had to stop operations at its major coking coal mine in Pokrovsk in early 2025 as the front line approached, further tightening supply for its remaining steel operations.