Chelyabinsk, Russia – September 4, 2008 – Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, announces that it has completed the repair of coking battery #4 at its Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant.

Repair of coking battery #4 has been performed at Mechel Coke OOO, a subsidiary of Mechel Group’s Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant . During the repair process, the capacity of 61 compartments within coking battery #4 was increased by 41 thousand tonnes per year, bringing the total output of the facility up to 440 thousand tonnes of commercial coke annually.

As part of the repair of coking battery #4, separation walls were re-laid at a depth of five to six vertical flues. Additionally, anchorage, reservation, and cradles were replaced and the functionality of the facility’s headpiece was restored.

Repair activities at coking battery #4 are targeted at decreasing the environmental impact and meeting international standards on product quality. As for the environment protection at the facility, pneumatic seals of ascension-pipe lids were mounted on the renovated coke battery to significantly reduce emissions from steel production.

Coking battery #4 is currently being warmed up and the total operation of eight batteries is involved in the coking and by-product process at Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant.

Ensuring solid supplies and reserves of raw materials for its facilities is one of the primary goals of Mechel OAO. In particular, Mechel's steel production is sourced with its own coke produced from coking coal mined at the Company’s open-pit and underground mines. This synergy allows the Company to enhance operational efficiency, improve control overall production quality, reduce costs and improve financial results for the Company.