AA
Self-sufficiency of the countries of the region and the heavy sleep of the Iranian aluminum industry

Self-sufficiency of the countries of the region and the heavy sleep of the Iranian aluminum industry

In the Middle East, the GCC is one of the main fields active in the field of aluminum.

In the Middle East region, the Gulf Cooperation Council is one of the main areas active in the field of aluminum. This region, with a production capacity of nine percent of the amount of primary aluminum required by the whole world, is one of the main centers of this important and influential industry. The region is made up of six Arab countries, of which five are active in aluminum production. The UAE ranks fourth in the world in 2015, with an average annual production of more than 2.3 million tons of aluminum billets, after China, Russia and Canada. An important feature and special advantage of Arab countries compared to other countries active in the aluminum sector is easy access to cheap oil and fossil fuels compared to other countries, which reduces the energy costs required for primary aluminum production in these countries compared to other competing countries. have given. Although fossil power plants are the second largest in terms of efficiency, high availability of natural gas resources and low costs compared to other countries, in reducing energy costs, has given a significant advantage to the aluminum industry in the region. Is. Lack of mineral resources, ie bauxite, has prevented the growing growth of the industry in the region, despite the lower energy costs in the region, and many countries are suffering from this problem. Among the Arab countries, only Saudi Arabia has bauxite mines, and this does not meet the needs of Saudi Arabia. That is why the countries of the alumina region (refined bauxite product) supply their needs from the place of import. Among the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, only Saudi Arabia has a bauxite refining unit as well as alumina production due to its bauxite mines. The production unit, which started operating in 2014 with a very high capacity of 1.8 million tons, is operating at 50% of its actual capacity due to Saudi bauxite constraints. In competition with Saudi Arabia, the UAE has just begun construction of a bauxite refining plant next to the Amal primary aluminum production unit, which has a production capacity of 2 million tons per year in the first phase. The bauxite required for this unit is also supplied from Guinea. Thus, what the statistics show is the desire of countries and aluminum producers to be self-sufficient in refining bauxite and supplying the alumina they need in order to further reduce the cost of producing primary aluminum and make it difficult to compete with other competitors in the aluminum industry.

Allow publish: No listed
Type: Translation