Iran has reported a significant increase in its production of aluminum amid a broader boom in activity in the country’s metals sector.
Iran’s state metals and mining company IMIDRO said in a Monday statement that aluminum output in four main smelters in the country had reached over 528,000 metric tons (mt) in the 10 months to January 20.
IMIDRO said the figure was an increase of 17% compared to the same previous period.
It said the South Aluminum Corporation (SALCO) had been responsible for more than 43% of Iran’s total aluminum output in the 10 months to January as the company churned out more than 226,000 mt of ingots over the period.
SALCO has become Iran’s largest aluminum smelter by output size just four years after it was launched in southern province of Fars.
The figures come as Iran continues to invest more in its metals and mining sector as part of efforts to diversify the economy away from oil revenues and to create more jobs for the youth.
IMIDRO statement said aluminum production at Iranian Aluminum Company (IRALCO) rose to over 147,000 mt between March 2022 and January this year, adding that Al Mahdi and Iran Alumina had produced over 123,000 mt and more than 30,000 mt of aluminum ingots, respectively, over the same period.
Iran’s production of alumina powder, the key ingredient in aluminum manufacturing process, had declined slightly by 1% to more than 193,500 mt in the 10 months to late January, said the company.
It added that production of bauxite, the main source of aluminum ore, had reached 464,000 mt over the same period.
Iran’s production of alumina powder and bauxite are concentrated in Iran Alumina, a plant located near the city of Jajarm in North Khorasan province.