There are 11,800 mining units in Iran, of which 5,000 units – over 40 percent – are inactive, announced the deputy minister of industry for mines and mineral processing.
Reza Mohtashami-Pour said more than 60 percent of the inactive mining units suffer from the presence of local problems that has prevented investors to operate, IRNA reported.
Exploration barriers must be removed in the regions in order to make good use of the country’s mineral capacity, the official further emphasized.
As announced by the director of the plan for reviving and developing small mines, 392 idle mines were revived across the country during the first nine months of the current Iranian year (March 21-December 21, 2021).
Reza Azimi said that the total number of revived mines has reached 791 since the launch of the program in late March 2019.
According to the official, reviving the said mines has created job opportunities for 3,104 people and the production capacity of the mines has also increased by 18,000 tons.
“During the first nine months of this [Iranian] year, more than 7,100 mineral areas have been monitored and assessed in 21 provinces,” the official stressed.
Concluding 37 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for investment, and research cooperation with new technology-based firms (NTBFs) as well as the introduction of 124 for receiving facilities were among the measures taken under the framework of the plan to revive idle mines, according to Azimi.
The official noted that the reviving of the mentioned 791 mines has increased the country’s total annual mineral production capacity by 29 million tons.
