Some 41 mining projects, valued at €6 billion, are being implemented in Iran, the Deputy Director of the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organisation (IMIDRO), said recently, when he was quoted in the Tehran Times. Jamshid Mollarahman has also stated via the Mehr News Agency that the administration has prioritised the expansion of mining and mineral exploration activities. The projects will create about 25,000 direct jobs, he stated. In March, IMIDRO Director Mehdi Karbasian said that the number of foreign companies which are ready to participate in Iran’s mining projects is on the rise. One of the main policies of the administration is to encourage Iranian investors living overseas to participate in domestic development projects, Karbasian said.
By launching the second phase of the Songon and Sarcheshmeh mines’ development plans in the current Iranian year (started March 21), 300,000 t will be added to the country’s copper concentrate production capacity. “In the preceding six months, a defined and continuous review is undertaken on the profitable and efficient projects, thus the plans with higher added value will be implemented. Setting up concentrate production plants is of more revenue in comparison with other projects. As by processing 0.5% ore and reaching 25% alloy, the economic value will be boosted 40 to 50 times.”
“By launching the mentioned plans, the capacity will be fulfilled in the coming two years and both plants will be operational in East Azarbaijan, and Kerman provinces in the second half of the year,” he stated.