National steel production capacity soars to 33m tons
The head of the Mining and Mineral Industries Commission of the Iran Chamber of Commerce on Sunday said the country's steel production capacity had increased from 10 to 33 million tons, and that iron ore exports had been halted to meet domestic needs.
Bahram Shakouri was cited by Mehr News Agency as saying that Iran’s annual steel production is more than 32 to 33 million tons, stressing, “Currently, the established capacity for steel production in the country is over 40 million tons per year.”
Referring to the growing trend of steel production, Shakouri added, “In the past, between 45 and 50 million tons of iron ore were exported from the country, but now the export has stopped, and all extracted iron ore is absorbed and processed domestically.”
Shakouri underlined that Iran was once an importer of steel, but it has now become one of the exporters of this material.
The head of the Mining and Mineral Industries Commission of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, stating that the country's steel production has increased from about 10 to 12 million tons to over 32 to 33 million tons, said, “This figure indicates successful investments in the steel and iron ore chain.”
Shakouri stressed that the steel and iron ore industry is considered as one of the important pillars of the national economy, and due to its effective role in generating foreign exchange, industrial development, and job creation, it has always received special attention from countries.
Placing a premium on the necessity of a long-term focus on the mining sector, Shakouri said mines, as the initial link in the chain of many industrial productions, have a close connection with industries such as steel, transportation, machinery manufacturing, petrochemicals, and construction projects.
“In addition to the extraction and export of mineral raw materials, the development of the value-added chain within the country should be seriously considered to make the best use of rich mineral capacities for economic growth and job creation,” he added.
Shakouri touted production and creation of added value as the keys to sustainable economic development and increasing job opportunities in the country.
In the 2000s, Iran was one of the main importers of steel and exported millions of tons of raw iron ore annually. However, with continuous investment in the steel value chain and the development of reduction and rolling units, it has transformed from an importer to an exporter over the past decade.
The current goal of the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade is to achieve a crude steel production capacity of 55 million tons by 2031.