Iraq inaugurates continuous casting mill in Baghdad
Part of a continuous casting factory in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: PMO
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, inaugurated on Wednesday a continuous casting factory at the General Company for Steel Industries in the capital, Baghdad.
In a press conference held during the inauguration of the continuous casting factory, the Iraqi Minister of Industry and Minerals, Khaled Battal Al-Najm, stated that the production capacity of the factory is more than 600 thousand tons, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Al-Najm explained that the continuous casting factory represents the first phase of a project, and the second phase includes setting up a rolling mill that will be inaugurated in 10 months.
In early March, Al-Sudani inaugurated a rolling mill in the southern Iraqi governorate of Basra to produce metal bars and sheets.
The inauguration of the rolling mill took place during Al-Sudani’s visit to Basra to open industrial projects, including fertilizer factories.
The Iraqi Prime Minister commended the work that led to operating and renovating these industries, viewing them as a significant turning point in the government’s ‘Year of Achievements.’
The operation at the rolling mill, one of the factories of the State Company for Iron and Steel (SCIS), has been stopped since 2003.
The director general of the SCIS, Abbas Hayal, said in March that the government intends to sign a contract with a major Chinese company to build a steel plant in Iraq.
Hayal noted that massive construction of buildings is currently taking place in Iraq, especially with the government’s tendency to build more than a million housing units.