Baku, Azerbaijan, May 7
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran’s copper concentrate output amounted to 107,935 tons in the first month of the current Iranian fiscal year (March 20-April 20), according to the latest statistics, released by National Iranian Copper Industry Company (NICICO).
The company has not released the volume of the produced concentrate in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year, however the Iranian industry ministry’s data indicates that the Islamic Republic has produced 94,117 tons of concentrate between March 20 to April 20 2017, so this year’s output indicates a rise by 14.7 percent.
Head of Supervision and Planning of the NICICO Saad Abdi said that the production of concentrate enjoyed an 8-percent growth in the one-month period compared to the plan was set fro the period.
Abdi said that NICICO’s affiliated companies Sarcheshmeh, Meydook and Sungun Copper Complexes, have extracted more than 17.2 million tons of copper in the period, 20 percent more than the defined plan for the period.
The NICICO produced 24,761 tons of anode copper in the first month of current fiscal year, 29 percent more year-on-year.
The predicted anode output for the period was 22,200 tons, so the NICICO output has surpassed the plan by 11 percent.
The cathode copper output by the affiliated companies of the NICICO amounted to 14,212 tons, 6 percent more year-on-year.
Iran’s copper concentrate output registered an increase by 6 percent in the last fiscal year, ended March 20, 218.
The country produced 1.141 million tons of copper concentrate in the 12-month period.
The country also produced 160,128 tons of cathode copper in the 12-month period, 17 percent less year-on-year.
Iran’s anode copper production also stood at 201,234 tons in the last fiscal year, registering a fall by 11 percent compared to the preceding year.
Iran possesses 22 million of copper reserves, equal to 1.3 percent of the world’s proven copper reserves, according to the report.
At present, six copper mines are operating in the country.