Baku, Azerbaijan, May 27
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
If there is no increase in production and equipment will not be provided for new projects, Iran's coal imports will reach 2 million tons a year, Saeed Samadi, secretary of Iran Coal Association, told the Young Journalists Club (YJC), Trend reports.
According to Samadi, Iran's coal production currently stands at 1.5 million tons a year – which, considering the country’s reserves, is a low figure.
He added that Iran's coal reserves amount to 1.2 billion tons.
"About 2 million tons of coal are used in Iran, and this figure will reach 3 million tons in the near future," he said.
According to the secretary of the Association, the price of coal in Iran is considerably lower than the global price, something that has had a negative impact on investment in this sector.
"There are mining reserves in Iran for increasing production. These mines should be given to the private sector, so that the mining industry becomes an attractive field for investments," he said.
According to Samadi, it may also be possible to increase coal production with the utilization of modern equipment.
He added that if the infrastructural capacities of the coal and mining mines increases, then the production of 4-5 million tons of coal will not pose any difficulties.