MECHEL REPORTS YAKUTUGOL RECEIVING SUBSOIL LICENSES FOR RESEARCH AND EXTRACTION
OF IRON ORE IN YAKUTIA

Moscow, Russia – March 12, 2012 – Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL), one of the leading
Russian mining and metals companies, announces receiving subsoil licenses for
researching, investigating and extracting iron ore in the Sutamsky area and in
the Sivaglinsky deposit, both located in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)’s
Neryungri region.
The Sutamsky iron ore area is about 3,300 square kilometers and consists of
several promising iron ore deposits. The license area is over 740 square
kilometers. Its estimated reserves under Russian standards are 1.35 billion
tonnes. Sutamsky ores’ Fe content averages 32-40%. The Sutamsky area is located
210 kilometers south-east of Neryungri.
Mechel is currently mining the Elga coal deposit in southern Yakutia, having
recently opened traffic on a railway link from the mine to the Baikal-Amur
Mainline. This rail link lies 50 kilometers east of the Sutamsky iron ore
region. The area’s significant estimated reserves, its high yield  and its
proximity to Mechel’s own transport lines make these deposits particularly
attractive for development.
The 25-year subsoil license for the Sutamsky iron ore area’s plot cost some 91
million rubles (3 million US dollars*).
The Sivaglinsky deposit is 90 kilometers north of Neryungri and is part of the
Southern Aldan iron ore region. Its reserves under Russian standards are about
26.4 million tonnes.  Its Fe content averages about 53%. The deposit is located
less than 7 kilometers away from a high-voltage line and a railway linked to
Baikal-Amur Mainline. The Sivaglinsky deposit’s ores also have a high yield, and
most of them can be used in steelmaking without undergoing beneficiation, while
the other can be processed using standard technology. A test probe of
Sivaglinsky ore is currently being analyzed at the ore research laboratory at
Mechel’s Korshunov Mining Plant in the Irkutsk Region.
The Sivaglinsky deposit is 4 kilometers south-west of the Pionerskoye iron ore
deposit with Russian-standard reserves of over 137 million tonnes, whose subsoil
license Mechel acquired in June 2011. The common industrial site for development
of both deposits and their proximity to the railroad will enable significant
development cost savings.
The 10-year subsoil license for use of Sivaglinsky reserves cost some 140
million rubles (4.7 million US dollars*).
“Development of the Sutamsky area and the Sivaglinsky iron ore deposit is yet
another success for  Mechel in implementing the strategy of increasing its
resource base. By acquiring subsoil licenses for new major deposits Mechel will
in the long run ensure high-quality iron ore for its own use and that of its
customers. The proximity of those deposits to the transport infrastructure and
electrical grid and with Mechel’s other mining facilities in the area will
ensure a powerful synergistic effect and bring down infrastructure costs
dramatically when developing those reserves,” Mechel OAO’s Chairman of the Board
of Directors Igor Zyuzin noted.
* Based upon the Russian Central Bank exchange rate of 29.54 RUR/$ as of March
12, 2012.

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Mechel OAO
Ekaterina Videman
Tel: + 7 495 221 88 88
ekaterina.videman@mechel.com

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Mechel is one of the leading Russian companies. Its business includes four
segments: mining, steel, ferroalloy and power. Mechel unites producers of coal,
iron ore concentrate, nickel, ferrochrome, ferrosilicon, steel, rolled products,
hardware, heat and electric power. 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, 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 files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission, including our Form 20-F. 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 20-F, 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.