Iran’s annual crude steel output to hit 15m tons
Mar
11,
2014
Iran’s annual crude steel output will reach 15 million tons by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20), the chairman of the association of Iranian steel producers said on Monday.
Bahram Sobhani added that the output is projected to increase to 55 million tons by the end of the Fifth Five-Year Development Plan (2015).
Iran was the biggest producer of crude steel in the Middle East in 2013, according to the World Steel Association’s latest press release.
Iran produced 15.4 million tons of crude steel in 2013, a 6.6 percent rise compared to 2012.
The country’s crude steel output stood at 1.35 million tons in December 2013, up 13.6 percent compared to December 2012, IRNA reported.
World crude steel production in 2013 amounted to 1.607 billion tons, an increase of 3.5 percent compared to 2012.
China, Japan, and the U.S. were the three biggest crude steel producers in 2013, with 779 million tons, 110 million tons, and 87 million tons of output, respectively.
Iran’s crude steel production reached 14.89 million tons in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20.
On January 5, Iranian deputy industry minister Mohammad-Jafar Sarqini said Iran has liberalized exports of steel products until the end of spring in a bid to give an incentive to domestic producers.
Sarqini told IRNA that exports of steel products and ingots will be unlimitedly free till the end of Khordad month (June 21).
Source: TEHRANTIMES