Azerbaijan, Baku, Jun.19/ Trend R.Zamanov
The first steel producing plants in Iran's southern Fars Province has started its trial production.
The plant has the capacity to produce 1.5 million tons of steel ingots, the IRIB News Agency reported.
The plant has been completed at the cost of three trillion rials, some $244.7 million based on the official rate of USD and $83.3 million based on the price of USD at the free market. The plant is providing a 750 job opportunity.
Iranian Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Vajihollah Ja'fari said on June 3 that Iran's steel ingot production capacity will be raised by up to four million tons by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2014).
By inauguration of some steel production projects in the provinces of Gilan, Yazd, Esfahan, and Fars, some 3.5 million tons would be added to the country's total steel ingot production capacity, the IRNA News Agency quoted Ja'fari as saying.
Iran's crude steel production capacity currently stands at 19 million tons. The amount would also reach 22 million tons by the end of current year.
Chinese investors will finance seven steel projects in Iran, Ja'afri said, adding that the contract for projects will be signed soon.
The managing director of the Mobarakeh Steel Company said in May that Iran's steel output accounts for 60 per cent of the Middle East's total steel production.
Iran's share of steel imports also equals 30 to 33 per cent, the IRNA News Agency quoted Mohammad Masoud Samieenejad as saying.
The latest statistics show that Iran is the world's fifteenth biggest steel producer, he explained. Iran produced over 17.4 million tons of steel products in the previous calendar year.
The latest statistics released by the World Steel Association shows that Iran has produced 3.64 million tons of crude steel in the first three months of 2013.
The amount shows a 0.4 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Iran's crude steel output in March stood at 1.330 million tons which is 14.3 per cent more than the same period in the previous year.
The country's production growth in March was more than other major producers of the world including China, India, USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia and Ukraine.
Some 388.82 million tons of crude steel was produced across the globe in the first three months of the current year.
The figure shows a 2.3 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
