TEHRAN - Iran Minerals Production and Supply Company (IMPASCO) has it on the agenda to revive and develop 1,020 mines, and construct 25 mineral processing units in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20, 2021).

According to the IMPASCO Head Vajihollah Jafari, the company has also signed 32 memorandums of understanding for the development of the mining sector’s various fields, ISNA reported on Monday.

“These memorandums include 16 investment memoranda, eight research and training memorandums, six financing memorandums, and two memorandums related to startup development,” he explained.

He mentioned holding two conferences at the national level and participating in specialized festivals and exhibitions as other measures that IMPASCO is going to take in line with the development goals of the current year and noted: “A layer called small-scale mines has been created and set up in the Company’s WebGIS system and a website has also been created for the projects related to the reviving of small mines.”

He also noted that a questionnaire has also been created and distributed among the owners of idle small mine to determine their problems and the reasons for the inactivity of their mines.

IMPASCO is a subsidiary of the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).

Back in April, Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA)'s Mining Committee announced that more than 146 idle small mines were revived by the Industry, Mining and Trade Ministry in the past Iranian calendar year (March 2019-March 2020).

According to Bahram Shakouri, in addition to reviving and developing small-scale mines, 2,130 small mineral zones were also identified and 364 projects were defined for them, IRNA reported.

Earlier in January, IMIDRO Head Khodadad Gharibpour had mentioned the plan for reviving idle mines as one of the most significant plans of “Resistance Economy”, saying that his organization was strongly determined to pursue it.

EF/MA