TEHRAN - Production of coal concentrate in Iran reached 762,900 tons during the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-September 21), according to the data released by Industry, Mining, and Trade Ministry.

The ministry’s data show that 16.6 percent of the mentioned figure was produced in the sixth Iranian calendar month of Shahrivar (August 22-September 21).

The country’s coal concentrate production dropped 24,000 tons compared to the previous year’s same period in which the figure stood at 786,900 tons.

As previously announced by the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), Iranian coal mines produced 911,600 tons of crude coal during the mentioned time span.

According to IMIDRO data, a total of 1,585,531 tons of crude coal was extracted in the last Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended on March 19).

Iran extracted 1,749,599 tons of coal during the Iranian calendar year 1397 (ended on March 20, 2019). And the coal concentrate production in the mentioned year stood at 732,050 tons.

Due to the special conditions of coal mines in Iran, these mines are subject to tax exemption and any miners who need mining machinery can use the facility and tax exemption in this sector to import their necessary machinery.

The country's average annual coal concentrate production is about 1.5 million tons, while the country's current demand has reached two million tons.

Currently, Iran’s coal sector provides employment for 17,000 people, however, the capacity of the country’s coal mines is much more than this figure and development of the mining sector and modernization projects can play an effective role in increasing employment in this sector.

Unofficial data indicate that there are 185 small and large coal mines in the country, of which more than 59 percent are currently active, while 10 mines are being equipped and prepared, and the rest are idle.

EF/MA