South Aluminum Corporation (Salco) was inaugurated Thursday in the central Fars province of Lamerd, Iran by the country’s president, Hassan Rouhani.
The new aluminum production unit is the largest complex in the country with an output capacity of 300,000mt per year and was opened with investments valued at around $1.2bn.
Iran’s industry, mining and trade minister, Reza Rahmani said the plant is expected to increase the country’s aluminum production by more than 63pc in the current calendar year, ending March 2021, and is projected to reach more than 430,000mt, according to media reports.
Major aluminum producers in Iran generated about 275,700mt of aluminum ingots in the last Iranian calendar year that ended March 19. According to reports, adding the new unit will increase the country’s aluminum output capacity to 785,000mt per year.
Iran is currently ranked 18th among aluminum producers, Rouhani said, and projects the country will reach an annual production level of 1.5mn mt tons of aluminum ingot produced by March 2025-2026 (1404 in the Iranian calendar year). According to reports, the new project will elevate the country’s ranking as an aluminum producer to 14th place.
According to Rouhani, the country has achieved 10th place in global steel production within the past six years, surpassing France and Italy and is ranked 15th in global copper production. Iran plans to jump to 12th place for copper production by March 2021-2022 calendar year (Iranian calendar yea of 1400).
The plant is expected to employ over 1,500 local workers and 5,000 additional jobs will be created throughout the company’s wider supply chain.
Salco is jointly owned by Tehran-based mining company, Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) and Ghadir Investment company.