KIEV, June 8 ??“ Metinvest Holding, which unites metallurgical assets of Donetsk-based CJSC System Capital Management (SCM), is considering the import of coking coal from Australia and the United States, Metinvest Holding Director General Ihor Syry said at a press conference in Kiev on Wednesday.

He said that imports from these countries could be 4-6 million tonnes of coking coal per year.

Syry said that after the completion of a full overhaul of the Azovstal steel mill and the Yenakiyeve steel mill (both based in Donetsk region), there will be a need for coke of higher quality, and taking into account that coking coal extracted in Ukraine has high sulfur content and imports of high-quality coal from Russia are being blocked, the company will have to import coking coal from Australia and the United States.