Page 54 - IRANRptJul20

Iran exported only 150 tonnes of titanium in 2019, generating revenues of just $390,000, according to ministerial data.
Iran has a single titanium slag plant in operation. It is located in Kahnuj in the southeastern Kerman province. Its production capacity stands at 130,000 tonnes/yr of titanium dioxide concentrate and 70,000 tonnes/yr of titanium slag. The US stipulates that any sales to Iran of titanium—as well as of other metals including chromium, nickel and 60%-tungsten—are sanctionable by Washington. It states that the metals are potentially useful to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile development programmes. Tehran has always insisted its nuclear programme is purely civilian in its nature and aims.
The output of Iran’s aluminium producers was recorded at aggregate 275,716 tonnes in the 2019/2020 Persian calendar year (ended March 20), marking an 8% y/y decrease, according to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization.
Flagship producer Iran Aluminum Company (IRALCO) accounted for 177,348 tonnes, registering growth of 4% y/y.
Second biggest producer was Hormozal Aluminum Company with 46,694 tonnes, a figure that represented a 40% y/y drop. Next were Almahdi Aluminum Company with 42,059 tonnes (20% y.y) and Iran Alumina Company with 9,615 tonnes (no annual comparison was provided).
Iran produced 18.5mn tonnes of steel ingot in the first 11 months of the 2019/2020 Persian year (year ends on March 19), marking growth of 4% y/y, Mehr news agency reported on March 14.
Bonab Steel Production Company reportedly registered 865% growth in producing billet ingot in the period while Esfahan’s Mobarakeh Steel Company and Hormozgan and Saba steel companies produced 8,389,280 tonnes of steel, approximately the same amount as was recorded in the first 11 months of the 2018/2019 Persian year.
Iran’s total steel production volume, including rebar, beam, hot and wide steel sheets, galvanized sheet and pipe hit 12,308,475 tonnes, up 7% y/y.
Iran is working to a strategy running to 2025 under which its steel production capacity would rise to 55mn tonnes. It stood at 35mn tonnes by March 20, 2019.
9.1.11 ​Utilities sector news
Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnasser Hemmati has announced that Iraq has consented to settling gas and electricity debts owed to Tehran by providing food and medicine, Mehr News Agency reported on June 18.
Newly-elected Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi reportedly told Hemmati during a meeting in Baghdad that "Iraq will cooperate with Iran to solve the problems in payments of natural gas. I have given the necessary orders to the relevant officials.”
Since the Islamic Republic remains under US banking sanctions, Iraq is unable to freely transfer foreign currency to Tehran for gas and electricity imported from Iran.
Iranian officials have publicly estimated that Iraq owes Iran around $2bn in overdue payments for such supplies. Iraqi officials maintain that the payments have been transferred to Iran's account at Tejarat Bank of Iraq, from where it cannot progress because of the sanctions.
The value of Iran's annual exports of electricity and gas to Iraq is estimated at
54​ IRAN Country Report July 2020 www.intellinews.com