TEHRAN- Several projects worth more than $1.2 billion are ready to be inaugurated in Iran’s mining sector across the country, IRNA reported, quoting the head of Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) as saying.

Currently, over $3.5 billion worth of projects are ready to go operational or are nearly completed in various sectors, of which nearly $1.2 are mining and mining industry projects, according to Khodadad Gharibpour.

The official underlined some of the industry ministry’s plans for developing the country’s mining sector in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 19), including the increase of exploration operations up to 650,000 square kilometers and the plans for reviving the country’s small mines.

“The project for reviving the small scale mines is being followed up continuously by the organization and the industry ministry,” he said.

Back in April 2019, Gharibpour had said that projects worth $3 billion were planned to be inaugurated in the country’s mining sector in the current Iranian calendar year.
The official said that 20 projects implemented by IMIDRO in the previous year created 4,440 direct jobs and 25,300 indirect jobs.

The deputy industry and mining minister said that the projects were implemented in collaboration with the country’s private sector.

According to Gharibpour, the country’s private sector invested 11.3 trillion rials (about $269.04 million) in the mining sector since December, 2018 up to August, 2019.
“This amount of investment is a turning point in the private sector’s contribution to the development of the country’s mining industries,” Gharibpour said.

EF/MA