By purchasing Hormozgan Steel Complex last year, Mobarakeh Steel Company decided to conduct the project for constructing a giant steel complex in Hormozgan. The project was approved in 1974 and its executive stages kicked off in 2000.
Given the numerous advantages of the Persian Gulf such as its huge gas resources, access to free waters, transportation by road, railroad and sea and proximity to the mines, the project has created a huge economic consortium in the steel industry and is expected to have a significant share in domestic production and export.
Mr Morteza Aqajani MD of Hormozgan Steel Complex pointed out that constructing a steel complex in Bandar Abbas which has an exclusive jetty, provides a strategic situation for exporting steel products in the south of the country.
The loading and unloading of equipment for 150,000 tonne vessels and the mechanized systems for transporting materials which were installed in two phases with the investment of National Iranian Steel Company in the Persian Gulf Mining & Metal Industries Special Zone during 1990 to 2001 have provided a remarkable portion of the infrastructural requirements of a giant steel complex.
In 2002, following the selection of contractors for the project, the related Engineering, Procurement and Construction contracts of the project were signed with the consortium of MME Company and Foolad Paya Engineering Company for the construction of a reduction plant and with AirTech, SMS Demag and Irasko companies for building steel making plant. Since 2006 the contracts were handed over to the companies. Domestic companies undertook the major operations of the projects.
He said that parts of basic engineering and complex engineering of Hormozgan Steel Complex were fully implemented by domestic companies. By implementing this huge industrial project in less than 3 years, a national record was registered which indicates that despite the sanctions Iranian experts managed to launch the project.
Mr Aqajani noted that unlimited use of technical know how, access to reliable sources for procuring spare parts, successful implementation of electrical arc project in Mobarakeh Steel Company are among the most important advantages of purchasing Hormozgan Steel Complex by Mobarakeh Steel Company. Mobarakeh Steel Company's investment in Hormuzgan Steel Complex has been a profit making deal.
He said that industrial issues should not be viewed as either regional or provincial and domestic capacities should not be utilized due to some viewpoints and dependence on foreign companies should not increase. Among the most important plans of Hormuzgan Steel Complex is the production of 1.65 million tonnes of sponge iron for producing 1.5 million tonnes of steel slabs.
After its final launch, this factory will produce 46 tonne slabs with the width of up to two meters and length of 6 meters to 12 meters. Concurrent with the project becoming operational some 3,000 direct and 12,000 indirect job opportunities will be generated. During the construction phase of the project, some 3,000 job opportunities per month were created.
Mr Aqajani said that in the current year the Phase I of melting in furnace at Hormuzgan Steel Complex was implemented. In this unit, 1.650 million tonnes of sponge iron, 90,000 tonnes of limestone and 7,500 cubic meters per4 hour of oxygen, 1,050 cubic meters per hour of sweet water and 1.5 million tons per year of slabs will be produced.
He recalled that some 70% of the workforce in the complex is local and the complex utilizes the services of domestic experts doing maintenance, installing equipment and so on. The exploitation phase of furnace 2 of the complex is underway.
He said that if the electricity problem of this unit is taken care of soon, the launch of this furnace will be put on agenda by the yearend and we can expand our activities in this respect.
He reiterated that procuring spare parts is the one of the most important problems in Hormozgan adding with the USD 1 billion investments made, the region have been provided by facilities such as electricity, gas, road, water installations and many other changes. We hope to supply steel domestic needs and achieve self sufficiency in steel production by using the capabilities of domestic experts.
(Sourced from Iran Daily)
