Iran aluminum production hits 282,000 tons
Iran produced 282,300 tons of aluminum in the first 10 months of the current Iranian Calendar year, which began March 20, 2012.
The amount shows a 1.6% increase compared to the same period of the previous year, Mehr news agency reported.
Iran produced 29,100 tons of aluminum ingot during the tenth calendar month of Dey (which ended January 19).
The Iranian Mining and Mineral Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) announced last month that the country plans to increase its annual aluminum ingot production capacity up to 1.5 million by the end of the country's 20-year Development Vision Plan, which ends before 2025.
Iran's annual aluminum ingot production capacity is projected to reach 910,000 tons by the end of the Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (March 2016).
Iranian Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade Vajihollah Ja'fari had said in May, 2012 that Iran's aluminum output will exceed 400,000 tons by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (starting March 20).
According to Ja'fari, the volume of aluminum production in the country increased by 8.5% during the last Iranian calendar year (it ended on March 19) compared to its preceding year, Press TV reported in May.
The production growth rate comes despite the fact that the world average yield increased by 7% during the mentioned period, he added.
Ja'fari also put Iran's current per capita consumption of aluminum at 4.5 kilograms, noting that per capita aluminum consumption worldwide now stands at 6.5 kilograms.
He highlighted that Iran's ranking in production of aluminum has risen by four steps since 2005 to stand at number 22 in the world for aluminum output.
Ja'fari also stressed that Iran plans to rank 14 in global aluminum production by the end of the 5th Economic Development Plan (2010-2015).