FORM 6-K

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

Report of Foreign Private Issuer

 

Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16

under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

April 7, 2005

 

Commission File Number: 333-119497

 

MECHEL STEEL GROUP OAO
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)

Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya 12
Moscow 123610
Russian Federation
(Address of principal executive offices)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:

 

Form 20-F ý   Form 40-F o

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):

 

Yes o   No ý

 

Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(c) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted solely to provide an attached annual report to security holders.

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):

 

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Note:  Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted to furnish a report or other document that the registrant foreign private issuer must furnish and make public under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the registrant is incorporated, domiciled or legally organized (the registrant’s “home country”), or under the rules of the home country exchange on which the registrant’s securities are traded, as long as the report or other document is not a press release, is not required to be and has not been distributed to the registrant’s security holders, and, if discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a Form 6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR.

 

Indicate by check mark whether by furnishing the information contained in this Form, the registrant is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:

 

Yes o   No ý

 

If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b):

 


 

 



 

 

 

MECHEL WINS  ADDITIONAL COKING COAL LICENSE AREAS

 

Kemerovo, Russia — April 7, 2005 — Southern Kuzbass Coal Company, a subsidiary of Mechel, has won two auctions for the right to explore and mine coking coal at two plots of the Erunakovskoye Coal Deposit, with total reserves of 264.6 million tons according to Russian reserve valuation standards.

 

According to the decisions of the auction committee, Mechel will receive 20-year licenses through its subsidiary, Southern Kuzbass OAO, for the Erunakovskaya-1 Mine and Erunakovskaya-3 Mine plots of the Erunakovskoye Coal Deposit. The acquisition of the new mining areas is in line with Mechel’s strategy to further develop its coking coal mining operations.

Coal reserves are 58.0 million tons in the Erunakovskaya-1 Mine license area and 206.6 million tons in the Erunakovskaya-3 Mine license area, according to the Russian reserve valuation standards, and primarily consist of coking coal. The auction conditions require a minimum of 1 million tons of extraction annually during the first stage of development, and 2 million tons of extraction annually during the second stage of development for each of the two areas.

“Coking coal mining has always been a central part of Mechel’s operations, and it remains a strategic priority for us.  In winning today’s auctions, we have taken another important step forward in the overall development of our company’s mining segment,” Mechel’s CEO, Vladimir Iorich, said on completion of the auction.

Russian reserve valuation standards differ from international standards.  Mechel intends to finalize an independent reserve valuation of these license areas with U.S. experts during 2005.

 

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Mechel OAO
Irina Ostryakova
Director of Communications
Phone: 7-095-258-18-28
Fax: 7-095-258-18-38
irina.ostryakova@mechel.com

 

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Mechel is one of the leading Russian metals and mining companies.  The Company unites producers of steel, rolled products, hardware, coal, iron ore concentrate, and nickel.  Mechel products are marketed domestically and internationally.

 

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Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Mechel Steel Group, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements. We refer you to the documents Mechel Steel Group files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form F-1. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned «Risk Factors» and «Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements» in our Form F-1, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the achievement of anticipated levels of profitability, growth, cost and synergy of our recent acquisitions, the impact of competitive pricing, the ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and licenses, the impact of developments in the Russian economic, political and legal environment, volatility in stock markets or in the price of our shares or ADRs, financial risk management and the impact of general business and global economic conditions.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

MECHEL STEEL GROUP OAO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

Vladimir Iorich

 

Name:

Vladimir Iorich

 

Title:

CEO

 

 

 

Date:  April 7, 2005

 

 

 

 

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