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Summary of Project Information (SPI)

This Summary of Project Information is prepared and distributed to the public in advance of the IFC Board of Directors’ consideration of the proposed transaction. Its purpose is to enhance the transparency of IFC’s activities, and this document should not be construed as presuming the outcome of the Board decision. Board dates are estimates only.
Project number11165
Project nameIspat Algeria
CountryAlgeria
SectorPrimary Metals
DepartmentGlobal Manufacturing & Services
Company nameMittal Steel Annaba
Environmental categoryB
Date SPI disclosedMarch 17, 2003
Projected board dateApril 30, 2003
StatusCompleted
Previous EventsInvested: September 30, 2004
Signed: June 30, 2003
Approved: May 15, 2003

Description of company and purpose of project
SIDER, a state-owned enterprise and Algeria’s sole integrated steel producer, has been privatized in October 2001. In this context, LNM Holdings N.V. has bought a 70% stake in Ispat Annaba (the company), the main steel producing plant and a 70% stake in Ispat Tebessa, its associated mines. LNM/Ispat group is contemplating a project in Ispat Annaba to:
rehabilitate and de-bottleneck the existing plant; and
upgrade the plant to meet international environmental norms.
The investment program is to be phased over a 10-year period, with about $123 million to be invested between 2003 and 2005.


Project sponsor and major shareholders of project company
The project is sponsored by LNM Holdings NV which is part of the LNM Group (the Group).
In addition to LNM Holdings NV, the Group includes Ispat International N.V. , a company quoted on the New York Stock Exchange and the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. The Group is the world’s 2nd largest and most global steel producer, with annual sales of over $9 billion and a steel making capacity of 35 million tonnes spread over 12 countries.

LNM Holdings is the largest shareholder in Ispat Annaba, with a 70% stake in the company. The remaining 30% are held by SIDER, a state-owned enterprise.

Total project cost and proposed IFC investment
The project cost is estimated at $123 million. The proposed IFC investment is a loan of up to $25 million for its own account.


Location of project and description of site

The project is located in Annaba, in Eastern Algeria near the border with Tunisia. The project site has easy access to major roads and infrastructure, including port facilities in Annaba.

Project Development Impact and IFC's Role
This project is expected to have a high development impact due to:
job creation and employment preservation for the existing 13,500 employees in Ispat Annaba and its ancillary facilities;
technology transfer through Ispat’s wide experience in steel processing and treatment facilities;
local employees’ exposure to global steel making practices through Ispat’s “Knowledge Integration Program”, a quality and cost improvement program designed to disseminate the Group’s best practices among all subsidiaries; and
a substantial reduction of the negative externalities caused by polluting effects of the existing plant.

IFC’s role in the project involves:

supporting the government’s ongoing privatization program by participating in a highly visible and successful privatization;
providing long-term financing to the project which is not available on the same terms in Algeria;
assisting the company in formulating its investment program; and
devising an Environmental Action Plan with the company to conform with international norms of pollution control.

Environmental and social issues - Category B
This is a category B project according to IFC’s Procedure for Environmental and Social Review of Projects.

To view the environmental documents for this project, click here


Location of environmental documents in locally affected community
The Environmental Review Summary (ERS) will be translated in French and Arabic, and posted at the local government office as well as the company’s site:





Ispat Annaba spa,
Sidi Amar, El-Hadjar BP 2055
23000 Annaba, Algeria
Phone: 213 38 87 1669/1630
Fax: 213 38 87 1830

To contact the project company, please write to:
Mr. B.N. Singh, Managing Director
Ispat Annaba spa,
Sidi Amar, El-Hadjar BP 2055
23000 Annaba, Algeria
Phone: 213 38 87 1669/1630
Fax: 213 38 87 1830