Iran, one of the largest steel producer in MENA region
has witnessed a significant rise on coal production. The nation has produced
nearly 1.25 MnT of coal in the nine months of current Persian year (21 Mar’18 –
21 Dec’18) by registering a growth of 25% Y-o-Y compared to the output for the
same period of the last Persian year.
According to Mr. Reza Rahmani, Iran's Minister of
Industry, Mine and Trade, “There are significant coal reserves and a steadfast
market in the country, adding that a comprehensive plan for coal mining will be
developed for the first time in the country.”
The minister underlined the need to improve the safety level of mines,
especially coal mines, and said, safety should be taken seriously in all
industries.
Iran Aims to Increase Coal
Production
According to Ardeshir Sa'ad Mohammadi, The deputy head
of Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization
(IMIDRO) announced plans to increase coal production capacity in the country.
He said, “Project is in line with a master plan for
steel production, The Steel Master Plan seeks to achieve a capacity of 6 MnT
for blast furnace which requires 3.7 MnT of coke and this in turn calls for
producing 5 MnT of coal concentrate.”
Once the new projects go on stream, 1.35 MnT of coal
concentrate will be produced and this will help to reduce supply problems. In
the blast furnace method, 0.60 MT of coke is required for producing 1 MT of
steel adding that 1.4 MT of coal is used to produce 1 MT of coke.
Iran Crude Steel Production
Increases by 17% Y-o-Y
Iran produced 22.53 MnT crude steel in the 11 months of
CY’18 as per the data released by World Steel Organization. Production was up
by 17% Y-o-Y against 19.28 MnT produced during the same period of CY’17.
In Nov’18, Iran produced 2.00 MnT of crude steel,
registered a growth of 3% Y-o-Y against 1.95 MnT produced in Nov’17. According
to the Iran’s Vision Plan, total steel production capacity is to hit 55 MnT a
year by 2025, with an expected exports figure of 10-15 MnT.
Source: Steel mint