Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iran's aluminum ingot output is about 350,000 tons per year, Iranian Deputy Industries, Mines and Trade Minister Mehdi Karbasian said Apr. 30.
Karbasian added that the country plans to increase aluminum ingots production to 1.5 million tons annually by 2025, IRNA news agency reported.
Karbasian further said that the India's biggest aluminum producer Nalco (National Aluminum Company) has agreed to send a delegation to Tehran to study investment opportunities for a 20-year period.
Iran also has held negotiations with two Australian companies for aluminum production, he said, expressing hope that agreement will be signed on the issue in the near future.
Karbasian said that a project is underway in North Khorasan province with participation of Chinese NFC company under the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) contract.
The unit is planed to produce 40,000 tons of aluminum per year, once comes into force, he added.
The Iranian official said that negotiations are underway with Italy as well over construction of an aluminum producing factory with 400,000 tons of output capacity.
If the talks are concluded the project will start by March 2017, Karbasian added.
Iran's proven mineral reserves stand at 37 billion tons.
The country ranked among 15 major mineral-rich countries of the world and exports its industrial and mineral products to 159 countries, including Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Afghanistan.
The official website of Iran's Industry, Mine, and Trade Ministry names exploratory operations in aluminum and iron ore mines as the top priorities of the ministry for investments.
Aluminum and Iron mines are also among the four top discovery priorities. According to the ministry, Iran daily produces 1.2 million metric tons of minerals.