CHICAGO, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mittal Steel USA is returning one blast furnace to service, then will idle another for maintenance, in order to maintain stable production in its eastern region over the next several months. Mittal Steel USA - Cleveland will restart blast furnace C-6 Aug. 23 in preparation for the scheduled idling of Cleveland's other ironmaker, blast furnace C-5, in October. The company took C-6 out of production in May, accelerating maintenance that had been scheduled to be done later, in response to inventory-related market softness. Similarly, C-5 will be idled in order to perform extensive repairs to the furnace top. The overlap also will enable the Cleveland plant to cover the company's steelmaking needs during an upcoming 20-day mainentance outage at Mittal Steel USA - Sparrows Point, where a complete reline is needed at one of the Maryland plant's basic oxygen furnaces. "This is another example of our plants working together to meet customer requirements," said William Brake, executive vice president, operations east. "After completion of the repairs, C-5 will be returned to service when the order book indicates it is needed." Operating employees will participate in the maintenance and other activities at the plants during these outages. About Mittal Steel Mittal Steel Company N.V. (NYSE:MT)(AEX:MT) is the world's largest and most global steel company. The company has operations in 14 countries, on four continents. Mittal Steel encompasses all aspects of modern steelmaking, to produce a comprehensive portfolio of both flat and long steel products to meet a wide range of customer needs. It serves all the major steel consuming sectors, including automotive, appliance, machinery and construction. For 2004, Mittal Steel had revenues of US$22.2 billion and steel shipments of 42.1 million tons. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange and the Euronext Amsterdam under the ticker symbol "MT." Mittal Steel USA, formed in April 2005, consists of Ispat Inland Inc. and Mittal Steel USA ISG Inc., formerly International Steel Group. It has operations in 12 states of the United States and in Trinidad and Tobago. Forward-Looking Statements Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. These statements contain time-sensitive information that reflects management's best analysis only as of the date of this release. Mittal Steel does not assume any obligation, other than that imposed by law, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future events, information or circumstances that arise after the date of this statement. Factors that may cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, negative overall economic and steel market conditions; competition within the steel industry; changes in U.S. or foreign trade policy; changes in foreign currencies; actions by domestic and foreign competitors; the inability to achieve the Company's anticipated growth objectives; changes in availability or cost of raw materials, energy or other supplies; labor issues; and the inability to implement the Company's operating culture and philosophy at acquired facilities. Further information concerning issues that could materially affect financial performance related to forward-looking statements can be found in Mittal Steel's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. DATASOURCE: Mittal Steel USA CONTACT: David C. Allen, Corporate Communications of Mittal Steel USA, +1-312-899-3692

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