Ardakan Pelletizing Plant to be completed by June

Managing director of Iran's Chador Maloo Mine & Industrial Co., Mr. Mahmood Noriyan, has announced that Ardakan Pelletizing Plant will be put into operation in early June of 2007. Construction work for the plant project worth Rials 185 billion ($20 million) is currently 92 percent completed. Ardakan Pelletizing Plant, which has a designed capacity of 3.4 million metric tons, will be supplied with iron ore concentrate from its beneficiation plant Chador Maloo Mine & Industry Co. Meanwhile, the iron ore pellets produced at the plant will be shipped to the direct reduction plant at Mobarakeh Steel. The contract for the construction of Ardakan Pelletizing Plant was awarded to a Kobe Steel-led consortium which includes ABB of Switzerland, TAIM-TFG, S.A. of Spain and the Japanese trading firms, Marubeni Corporation and Mistubishi Corporation. Mr. Noriyan added that the fourth production line for iron ore concentrate at Chador Maloo Co. will be commenced by December 2007. In addition, the company has already signed an agreement for the purchase of a fifth production line. Chador Maloo produces 5.6 million metric tons of iron ore concentrate at its three existing lines. The company will be able to increase its production up to 10 million metric tons a year when the other two new lines come on stream.