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DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional “CSN”, also referred to as “Company”, is a publicly held company incorporated on April 9, 1941, under the laws of the Federative Republic of Brazil (Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional, its subsidiaries, joint ventures, joint operations and associates are collectively referred to herein as the "Group”). The Company’s registered office is located in São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

CSN is listed on the São Paulo Stock Exchange (B3 S.A.- Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The Group's main operating activities are divided into five (5) segments as follows:

Steel:

The Company’s main industrial facility is the Presidente Vargas Steelworks (“UPV”), located in the city of Volta Redonda, State of Rio de Janeiro. This segment consolidates all operations related to the production, distribution and sale of flat steel, long steel, metallic containers and galvanized steel. In addition to the facilities in Brazil, CSN has commercial operations in the United States and operations in Portugal and Germany in order to gain markets and provide excellent services to final consumers. Its steel is used in home appliances, civil construction, package and automobile industries.

Mining:

The production of iron ore is developed in the cities of Congonhas, Belo Vale and Ouro Preto, State of Minas Gerais, by its subsidiary CSN Mineração S.A. (“CSN Mineração”). The Company’s mining activities also include tin exploration in the state of Rondônia by CSN's subsidiary Estanho de Rondônia S.A. (“ERSA”), to supply the needs of the UPV. The surplus of this raw material is sold to subsidiaries and third parties.

Iron ore is sold basically in the international market, especially in Europe and Asia. The prices charged in these markets are historically cyclical and subject to significant fluctuations over short periods of time, driven by several factors related to global demand, strategies adopted by the major steel producers, and the foreign exchange rate. All these factors are beyond the Company’s control. The ore is transported by rail to the Terminal de Carvão e Minérios from the Itaguaí Port (“TECAR”), a solid bulk terminal, one of the four terminals that comprise the Itaguai Port, located in the State of Rio de Janeiro and from TECAR to customers around the world. The imports of coal and coke are also carried out through this terminal by provision of services by CSN Mineração to CSN.

As a pioneer in the use of technologies that result in the possibility of stacking the tailings generated in the iron ore production process, CSN Mineração has had its iron ore production, since January 2020, 100% independent of tailings dams. After significant investments in recent years to increase the level of reliability, decharacterization and dry stacking, CSN Mineração has moved towards a scenario in which 100% of its waste goes through a dry filtration process and is arranged in geotechnically controlled piles, in areas exclusively intended for stacking.

As a consequence of these measures, the decommissioning of dams is the natural path for processing filtered waste. All our mining dams are adequately suited to existing environmental legislation.

Cement:

CSN entered the cement production market boosted by the synergy between this activity and CSN’s current business.

The cement production unit located beside the UPV facilities, in Volta Redonda/RJ, produces CP-III type cement using the slag produced by the UPV’s own blast furnaces. There is also the exploration of limestone and dolomite at the Arcos/MG unit to meet the needs of the steel and the cement plants, as well as the production of clinker at the same unit.

On January 31, 2021, the Company concluded the drop down of the cement business and, accordingly, all assets, liabilities, rights and obligations related to the cement business were transferred from CSN to its subsidiary CSN Cimentos S.A. (“CSN Cimentos”).

On August 31, 2021, the subsidiary CSN Cimentos S.A. (“CSN Cimentos”) completed the acquisition of control of Elizabeth Cimentos S.A. ("Elizabeth Cimentos") and Elizabeth Mineração Ltda. ("Elizabeth Mineração"), with operations in the Northeast region, especially in Paraíba and Pernambuco. On May 1, 2022, Elizabeth Mineração was merged into CSN Cimentos S.A.

On September 9, 2021, CSN Cimentos entered into the Agrément for the Sale and Purchase of the Shares in LafargeHolcim (Brasil) S.A., for the acquisition of 100% of the shares issued by LafargeHolcim (Brasil) S.A. (“LafargeHolcim”). On September 6, 2022, the acquisition of all shares issue by LafargeHolcim S.A. was completed, with the change of LafargeHolcim's name to "CSN Cimentos Brasil S.A.", which is now controlled by CSN Cimentos. The Company's main activities are: production, industry and general trade of cement, lime, mortar, minerals and metals in general and complementary products for civil construction, in natura with industrial plants, warehouses and branches across a large part of the national territory.

On August 31, 2023, the Extraordinary General Meeting approved the incorporation of CSN Cimentos by CSN Cimentos Brasil with the consequent transfer of all patrimony, assets (movable and immovable), rights and obligations, in accordance with the terms of the “Protocol and Justification of the Incorporation of CSN Cimentos S.A. by CSN Cimentos Brasil S.A.”. Thus, CSN Cimentos was extinguished, all its shares were canceled and, in replacement, its shareholders received shares in CSN Cimentos Brasil. All activities carried out by CSN Cimentos are now carried out by CSN Cimentos Brasil. The Valuation Report of CSN Cimentos' equity was prepared on June 30, 2023, being the basis for defining a capital increase in CSN Cimentos Brasil in the amount of R$2,383,276.

Logistics:

Railroads:

CSN has interests in three railroad companies: MRS Logística S.A. (“MRS”), which manages the former Southeast Railway System of Rede Ferroviária Federal S.A. (“RFFSA”), Transnordestina Logística S.A. (“TLSA”) and FTL - Ferrovia Transnordestina Logística S.A. (“FTL”), which holds the concession to operate the former Northeast Railway System of RFFSA, in the States of Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas - stretches from São Luís to Altos, Altos to Fortaleza, Fortaleza to Sousa, Sousa to Recife/Jorge Lins, Recife/Jorge Lins to Salgueiro, Jorge Lins to Propriá, Paula Cavalcante to Cabedelo, Itabaiana to Macau (Mesh I) and TLSA is responsible for the stretches from Eliseu Martins-Trindade, Trindade-Salgueiro, Salgueiro-Missão Velha and Missão Velha-Pecém (Mesh II), under construction.

Ports:

The Company operates in the State of Rio de Janeiro, by means of its subsidiary Sepetiba Tecon S.A., the Container Terminal (“TECON”) and by means of its subsidiary CSN Mineração, the TECAR, both located at the Itaguaí Port. Established in the harbor of Sepetiba, the mentioned port has a privileged highway, railroad, and maritime access.

TECON is responsible for the movement and storage of containers, vehicles, steel products, general cargo, among other products, and TECAR performs the operational activities of loading and unloading of solid bulk ships, storage and distribution (road and rail) of coal, coke, petroleum coke, clinker, zinc concentrate, sulfur, iron ore and other bulk, intended for the seaborne market, for our own operation and for different customers.

Energy:

Since the energy supply is fundamental in CSN”s production process, the Company has electricity generation assets to mitigate costs, aiming at greater competitiveness.

On June 30, 2022, the Company's subsidiaries, CSN Cimentos and CSN Energia S.A. ("CSN Energia"), completed the acquisition of Santa Ana Energética S.A. (“Santa Ana”), as well as Topázio Energética S.A. ("Topázio") and, indirectly, Brasil Central Energia Ltda. ("BCE"), a subsidiary of Topázio, under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement entered into on April 8, 2022 with Brookfield Americas Infrastructure (Brazil Power) Fundo de Investimento em Participações Multiestratégia, a private equity fund managed by Brookfield Brasil Asset Management Investimentos Ltda. On October 7, 2022, subsidiaries CSN Mineração and CSN Energia S.A. concluded the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Companhia Energética Chapecó – CEC, holder of the grant of Quebra-Queixo Hydroelectric Power Plant (“Chapecó”), as provided for in the Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of Shares and Other Covenants and in the Private Instrument of Assignment of Rights and Obligations entered into on July 1, 2022 and July 25, 2022, respectively.

In July 2022, the subsidiary Companhia Florestal do Brasil it began the process of participating in the auction held by the State of Rio Grande do Sul, for the sale of 100% of the shares in its possession, 6,381,908 equivalent to 66.23% of the share capital, of Companhia Estadual de Energia Elétrica - CEEE-G, as part of the CEEE Group privatization program, in accordance with State Law 15,298/19, on October 21, 2022, the transaction was completed with payment by the company of the auction winning price. On December 22, 2022, the acquisition of Eletrobras' 32.74% interest in CEEE-G was concluded, and the Company currently holds 99% of the share capital of CEEE-G. On November 24, 2022, the post-OPA Auction was settled, in which CFB acquired 1,271 (one thousand two hundred and seventy-one) common shares and 338 (three hundred and thirty-eight) preferred shares issued by CEEE-G, with this CFB now holds a total of 99% of the share capital of CEEE-G.

Going Concern:

Management understands that the Company has adequate resources to continue its operations. Accordingly, the Company's financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 have been prepared on a going concern basis.