Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.10/ Trend F.Milad
Iran with total production of 14.46 million tons was ranked as the world's 15th largest crude steel producer in 2012, the World Steel Association announced in its latest report.
Deputy Director of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, Kioumars Fathollah Kermanshahi, said last month that Iran's crude steel production will reach 17.5 million tons in the current Iranian calendar year (which ends on March 20).
Iran's annual crude steel consumption currently stands at 25 million tons, he said.
Iran plans to reach the production capacity of 55 million tons by 2025, Fathollah Kermanshahi added.
The deputy industry minister, Reza Fatemi-Amin, said on September 9, 2012 that Iran will no longer need to import steel products next year once the underway steel production projects come on stream.
Fatemi-Amin also said that some 7 million tons of crude steel is imported annually.
in May 2011, Iran's Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mehdi Ghazanfari stated that Tehran will become one of the world's main steel exporters by March 2016.
Iranian Mines & Mining Industries Development & Renovation Organization exported over $385 million worth steel within the first nine months of the current Iranian Calendar year, which began on March 20, 2012.
The amount shows 5 per cent rise in comparison to the same time span previous year, the Mehr News Agency reported.
Some 13.12 million tons of steel products were also produced in the mentioned period.
The figure shows a 2.9 percent increase in comparison to the same period of previous year.
IMIDRO announced in December that four steel projects would come on stream in the first half of the next Iranian calendar year, which begins on March 20.
Once the projects come on stream, some 4 million tons would be added to the country's sponge iron output capacity.
The projects will be completed at the cost of 458 million euros and 10.16 trillion rials (some $828.7 based on the official rate of dollar).
