Iran's crude iron ore production capacity will be raised to 100 million mt/year from 75 million mt/y by the end of the current Iranian year (to March 2018), state mines and metal holding company Imidro quoted the minister of industry, mines and trade as saying.
Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh was speaking at the inauguration of a 5 million mt/y pellet making plant which belongs to Mobarakeh Steel Company (MSC) and is the first pellet-making plant at the Sangan iron ore reserves, the biggest Iranian reserve in northeast of the country.
"The country's iron ore pellet making capacity is 31 million mt/year now, but this capacity will be increased to 45 million mt/y [by...] the end of the current Iranian year," Nematzadeh said.
Current capacity for concentrated iron ore of 46.5 million mt was planned to be increased to 55 million mt/y and DRI production capacity was planned to be increased to 34.5 million mt/y from 30 million mt/ now, he said.
Some 22.5 million mt/y of iron ore concentrates and 17.5 million mt/y of pellets is planned to be produced from the Sangan deposits but, because of water shortages in this area, there is no plan for steel making, Nematzadeh said.
