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Iran’s annual aluminum ingot production up 20% says IMIDRO
Iran’s iron ore pallet production gains 21% in first 10 Persian months
Cement plants in Iran ‘storing mazut as alternative fuel amid power cut anxieties’
part of talks over the nuclear deal with world powers. Iranian exports in gas-based industries, especially petrochemicals and steel, could fill some gaps that will emerge due to sanctions on Russia.
The data, released in conjunction with state mining company IMIDRO, showed exports of steel of various types increased to 9.652mn metric tonnes, from the start of the Persian calendar year (March 20, 2021 until February 19, 2022). Sanctions on Russia's steel production by the EU are now in place after agreement earlier this week by the European Parliament.
According to Bloomberg, the EU so far refrained from banning imports of non-ferrous metals and aluminium in particular, but it could be considered. Following the massive price spike in prices after a previous attempt to sanction Rusal, the aluminium company of oligarch Oleg Deripaska, in 2018, this company has also been exempted from the sanctions regime due to its importance to the global metals market. An aluminium exports ban would badly hurt Deripaska’s Rusal, which sells 40% of its output to Europe.
Iran produced 538,000 tonnes of aluminium ingot in the last Persian calendar year (ended March 20), marking a 20% y/y gain on the previous year’s 446,836 tonnes, according to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).
Data on the last Persian year also showed that Iran Alumina Company produced 230,682 tonnes of alumina powder, the organisation said.
Iran Alumina Company in the year also recorded output of 698,149 tonnes of bauxite, the raw material used in the production of alumina powder, IMIDRO added.
Iran’s iron ore pellet production gained by 21% y/y in the first 10 months of the current Persian calendar year (March 21, 2021 - January 20, 2022), according to state-owned holding company Iranian Mines & Mining Industries Development & Renovation (IMIDRO).
IMIDRO reported that over 31.358mn tonnes of iron ore pellets were produced compared to 25.992mn tonnes in the same period of the previous Persian year.
Golgokhara Mining and Industrial Company was the largest pellet producer at 10.37mn tonnes. Next was Middle East Mine and Mineral Development Holding Company (MIDHCO) at 4.78mn tonnes. Sangan Mining Industries Company at 3.385mn tonnes, Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Company at 3.152mn tonnes and Opal Parsian Sangan Industrial and Mining Company at 2.736mn tonnes were third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
An IMIDRO report on iron ore pellet plants under construction indicated that the plants will during 2023-24 add 25.95mn tonnes of capacity.
The company also said that in the previous Persian year (to March 20, 2021), major mining companies in Iran produced 902,454 tonnes of granular iron ore, down 54% y/y.
Cement plants in Iran have started storing mazut as an alternative fuel amid anxieties that natural gas flow shortages in the country could lead to power cuts hitting industry, local press reports have this week quoted Iranian Cement Industry Association secretary Abdolreza Sheikhan as saying.
Mazut is a heavy, low quality “dirty” fuel oil left over after gasoline and lighter components are evaporated from crude oil.
Sheikhan reportedy noted that electricity outages during the summer led to a cement shortage on the Iranian market and increased cement prices. Simultaneous power and gas outages in the upcoming winter might mean the
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