Two Pellet Plants to Become Operational

Two pellet-making plants with production capacities of 5 million and 2.5 million tons per year and located in Sangan Mineral Zone will start production in the Iranian month of Ordibehesht (April 21-May 21, 2017), Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization’s public relations announced. Known as “Iran’s Mineral Heaven” and located in Khorasan Razavi Province, Sangan is home to over 1.2 billion tons of estimated iron ore reserves and expected to grow even more through further explorations. Currently six mineral processing plants are under construction in the region (including the two aforementioned pellet-making plants) with an aggregate annual production capacity of 17.5 and 15 million tons of iron ore concentrate and pellets respectively. Iron ore pellet is an enriched form of the metal shaped into balls and used as raw material for blast furnaces, which is used in integrated steelmaking, during which coke, iron ore and pellets react under a hot air flow to form liquid hot metal, also called pig iron.