Iran's biggest aluminum plant launched

Iran has put into operation its biggest aluminum plant with an annual capacity of 147,000 tons in the southern city of Bandar Abbas.

The Hormozal aluminum smelter plant will increase Iran's aluminum output by 47 percent to 457,000 tons per year.

"400 million euros plus 2 trillion rials ($200 million) have been invested in the project," said Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) Director, Ahmad-Ali Haratinik.

Haratinik added that Iran reached an agreement with the Chinese NFC Company to construct an aluminum plant in the city of Lamard with an annual capacity of 276,000 tons.

Iran's aluminum exports have reached approximately $125 million in the first half of the current Iranian year (beginning March 21).

A report released by IMIDRO in October shows a total of 87,693 tons of aluminum having been exported in the same period -- up 18 percent compared with the previous year.

It says Iran's aluminum output increased by 22 percent to 143,622 tons in the same period.

The data shows that two Iranian companies -- Iralco and Almahdi -- produced 86,544 and 57,078 tons of aluminum respectively in the first half of the year.