Iran's H1 Mineral Output Over 160m Tons, Up 8.4% YOY

The miners’ performance for the sixth month of the Iranian year (ended Sept. 22, indicates an 8.99% year-on-year rise to 29.62 million tons.

Iran is home to 68 types of minerals with over 37 billion tons of proven and 57 billion tons of potential reserves, including large deposits of coal, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, uranium and gold.

 Upstream Steel Sector

Iron ore concentrate had the biggest share in Iran’s mineral production during the period under review with 18.89 million tons, registering a 21% growth YOY.

Gologhar Mining and Industrial Complex accounted for 6.83 million tons of the total output, followed by Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Complex with 4.28 million tons, Iran Central Iron Ore Company with 2.45 tons, Goharzamin Iron Ore Company with 2.21 million tons, Middle East Mines and Mining Industries Development Holding Company with 1.18 million tons, Opal Parsian Sangan with 1.03 million tons and Sangan Iron Ore Complex with 190,940 tons.

Concentrate production was in high gear in the same month, boosting the H1 record. Chadormalu was the only producer posting a decline, standing at 11%. All other miners recorded a double-digit growth, with Gohar Zamin’s six-month output surging 414%.

Production of granulated iron stood at 2.89 million tons, down 8% YOY. Iran Central Iron Ore Company was the biggest producer with 888,660 tons, followed by Sangan Iron Ore Complex with 732,633 tons, Jalalabad Iron Ore Company with 486,046 tons, Iran Central Plateau Iron Ore Company with 455,689 tons, Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Complex with 188,290 tons and Mishdavan iron Ore Company with 147,287 tons.

Pellet had the second largest share with a total output of 15.399 million tons, up 25% YOY. Golgohar was the largest producer with 5.27 million tons, followed by Mobarakeh Steel Company with 3.89 million tons, Khouzestan Steel Company with 3.25 million tons, Chadormalu with 1.5 million tons and MIDHCO with 1.46 million tons.

Direct-reduced iron came next with the production of 9.26 million tons, up 12% YOY. Mobarakeh had the lion’s share with 3.71 million tons, followed by KSC with 2.06 million tons, Hormozgan Steel Company with 799,354 tons, South Kaveh Steel Company with 706,822 tons, Saba Steel Complex with 581,102 tons, Khorasan Steel Company with 559,479 tons, Ghadir Iron and Steel Company with 432,317 tons and MIDHCO with 402,092 tons.

 Downstream Steel Sector

Semi-finished steel had the fourth largest share among mineral products during the six-month period. Iranian steel mills produced 8.17 million tons of slab, bloom, billet and ingot, up 14% YOY.

Mobarakeh Steel Company was at the forefront with 4.17 million tons. KSC came next with 1.88 tons, followed by Esfahan Steel Company with 1.13 tons, South Kaveh Steel Company with 391,413 tons, Khorasan Steel Company with 339,758 tons, Iran Alloy Steel Company with 219,659 tons and Iran National Steel Industries Group with 33,343 tons.

All producers posted growth during the period, with the exception of ESCO whose output dropped by 6% YOY.

A total of 5.202 million tons of steel products, including hot- and cold-rolled coils, rebar, beams, pipes, wide and galvanized sheets, were produced during the period, up 5% YOY.

MSC and its subsidiary Saba Steel Company had the largest share of production with 2.92 million tons, followed by ESCO with 1.07 tons, Oxin Steel Company with 391,203 tons, Khorasan Steel Company with 241,511 tons, Ahwaz Rolling and Pipe Mills Company with 137,588 tons, IASCO with 152,686 tons, INSIG with 87,966 tons, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Automotive Sheet Company with 103,081 tons and Azarbaijan Steel Company with 80,151 tons.

 Copper Sector

Copper mines operated by the National Copper Industries Company extracted 82.8 million tons of copper oxide ore during the period, up 5% YOY. Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex accounted for 40.6 million tons of the total output. Sungun Copper Complex with 25.2 million tons and Miduk Copper Mine with 16.9 million tons came next. With the exception of Sungun, all the above mines registered growth in output.

The three mines’ sulfide copper ore extraction was up 4% YOY to reach 25.14 million tons.

Copper concentrate was the main product manufactured in this sector. Its output stood at 540,903 tons, recording a 2% rise YOY. It was followed by copper anode with 80,835 tons, down 31%; copper cathode with 67,582 tons, down 29%; and molybdenum with 3,766 tons, up 6% year-on-year.

 Aluminum Sector

Iran’s three major aluminum producers aggregated 166,520 tons of aluminum ingots in the six months to register a 4% decline YOY.

Iran Aluminum Company produced 84,238 tons, Hormozal Aluminum Company 52,193 tons and Almahdi Aluminum Company 30,089 tons.

Iran Alumina Company produced 121,858 tons of alumina powder, up 4% YOY.

 Lead & Zinc

Major Iranian lead and zinc producers extracted 444,119 tons of ore during the period, of which Angouran Lead and Zinc Complex accounted for 427,660 tons and Nakhlak Lead and Zinc Plant for 16,459 tons.