Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.20
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Some 130,000 metric tons of cathode copper were produced in Iran in the first 8 months of the current Iranian year (March 21-November 22).
Copper concentrate production amounted to 523,598 metric tons in the 8-month period, Iran's Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) website reported on Dec. 20.
More than 108.7 million metric tons of copper was extracted from mines in the same period of time.
Iran's copper production capacity stands currently at around 200,000 metric tons per year and the capacity is projected to be doubled by the end of the Iranian solar year 1397 (March 2019).
Ahmad Morad Alizadeh, Director of National Iranian Copper Industries Company, said the country's copper production will rise to 300,000 metric tons in the next year.
Ali Yazdani, director of resources management department at the Iranian industry ministry, said a total of 7,000 operating and non-operating mines exist in the country.
He added that around 5,600 mines are currently operating in Iran.
Iran is ranks among the 15 major mineral-rich countries of the world and exports its industrial and mineral products to 159 countries, including Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Afghanistan.
The important mines of Iran include coal, metallic minerals, sand and gravel, chemical minerals and salt.
The country has the world's largest zinc and second largest copper deposits and ranks ninth for its iron reserves.
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