BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 10. The mines of West Azerbaijan Province, located in the northwest of Iran, can produce 19 million tons of various types of mining minerals, Deputy Chairman of the Industrial, Mining, and Trade Organization of Iran's West Azerbaijan Province Jalal Dastranj said, Trend reports.
According to him, a total of 514 mines are operating in the province, which produces the mentioned amount of minerals.
Dastranj stated that a total of 9.15 trillion rials (about $24.3 million) have been spent on these mines. Currently, 5058 people are employed at the mines in the region.
The official noted that from March 20 through June 10, 2024, the province has carried out stripping works in 7 mines; 1 mine has been put into operation, and 1 mine is being prepared for use. 2 billion rials (about $5,300) have been spent on the mine. This mine can produce 45,000 tons of minerals per year.
To note, decorative stones are mainly extracted from the mines of Iran's West Azerbaijan Province.
Iran has about 12,000 mines. It is reported that mineral reserves in Iran amount to more than 50 billion tons. Production in Iran's mines averages more than 400 million tons per year.
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