Moscow, Russia — February 29, 2012 – Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, reports that the environment management system at Tikhvin Ferroalloy Plant, which is part of Mechel’s ferroalloys division, was certified as compliant with the international ISO 14001 standard.

The certificate was granted by the international auditing company TUV SUD Management Service. The successful completion of the plant’s environment management system’s certification proved its full compliance with the international ISO 14001 standard’s ecological requirements and norms, which is a high standard for an enterprise’s ecological efficiency.

Tikhvin Ferroalloy Plant, which was built in 2007, is the newest ferroalloy enterprise in the CIS. The use of modern production technologies and state-of-the-art gas-cleaning units enable the plant to ensure absolute compliance with waste emission norms for every substance regulated in Russia, with actual waste emissions falling far below the norm on an absolute majority of those substances. The plant does not emit any harmful substances into water. The plant constantly monitors the environment using its own stations.

Mechel Ferroalloys Management OOO’s Chief Executive Officer Gennady Ovchinnikov noted: “Obtaining this certificate was a logical conclusion of our efforts to perfect environment protection. This is objective proof of the plant’s responsible attitude toward ecology and unswerving compliance with all ecological requirements and norms. We take care of the environment in the regions where our enterprises are located, with each enterprise implementing their own ecological program and upgrading production technologies.”