Page 53 - IRANRptMar21

Iran sees surge in aluminium ingot production
Overall mineral exports from Iran during the period under review reached 21.17mn tonnes with a value of around $3.49bn, equivalent to 16.7% of Iran’s total non-oil exports.
Aluminium ingot production in Iran grew 69% y/y in the first seven months of the current Persian year (March 20 to October 22), Mehr News Agency has reported, citing industry, mining and trade ministry data. Some 247,335 tonnes of aluminium ingots were produced, with the Iranian month of Mehr (September 21 to October 22) seeing production of 35,556 tonnes, a 56% y/y gain.
Industry, mining and trade Ministry figures also showed that in the prior Iranian year producers smelted 275,716 tonnes of aluminium ingot, off by 8% from the preceding year. Iranian Aluminum Company (IRALCO) led the way in output. An official ​said​ earlier this year that the country’s overall production of aluminium would double upon the commissioning of a new aluminium plant under construction in Fars province. He noted that the value of the industry’s production was around $22bn, adding that Iran was generally self-sufficient for minerals, allowing it to be a significant exporter.
Iran forecasts it will reach annual aluminium ingot production of 1.5mn tonnes/yr by 2025.
9.1.12 ​Defence sector news
On February 1, Iranian state TV aired the launch of Iran’s newest satellite-carrying rocket, which it said was able to reach a height of 500 kilometres (310 miles).
The footage of the solid-liquid-fueled rocket showed the launch taking place during daytime in a desert environment.
The rocket, named Zuljanah for the horse of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, did not launch a satellite into orbit. The satellite carrier is 25.5 metres (84 feet) long and weighs 52 tonnes.
Iran says its satellite programme, like its nuclear activities, is aimed at scientific research and other civilian applications. The US and other Western countries have long been suspicious of the programme because the same technology can be used to develop long-range missiles.
Ahmad Hosseini, spokesman for the defence ministry's space department said the rocket was capable of carrying either a single 220-kilogram (485-pound) satellite or up to 10 smaller ones.
Separately, an unverified video on January 31 surfaced on social media showing what some observers said appeared to be a rocket being fired over Tehran’s Alborz mountain range.
The object could have originated from an army base on the Lavasan road area.
9.1.13 ​Renewable energy sector news
Iran’s renewable power plants ‘reach 860 MW in capacity’
The capacity of Iran’s renewable power plants reached 859.17 megawatts (MW) in the 10th Iranian calendar month (December 21, 2020-January 19, 2021), official news agency IRNA has reported.
Iranian renewable power plants reportedly managed to produce 5.738bn kilowatt-hours (Kwh) of electricity in the Persian month, 50% (426.17 MW) of which was attributed to solar power plants. Wind power plants accounted for 35% (303.18 MW), followed by hydropower plants at 12% (105.65 MW).
In December, Mohammad Satakin, who heads Iran's Renewable Energy and
53​ IRAN Country Report March 2021 www.intellinews.com