The head of Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) says a “comprehensive coal plan” will be formulated in the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), IRNA reported.
The plan will be formulated based on collaboration between domestic and foreign companies from the UK and Poland with the aim of exploiting coal mines across Iran, said Mehdi Karbasian.
Based on Iran’s 2025 Vision Plan, the country should increase its coal output by about 8 million metric tons within the next decade after proper investment is made to develop and modernize coal mines. The vision plan also envisages increasing the production of coal concentrate and metallurgical coke.
IMIDRO – the country’s major state-owned holding company active in the mining sector – is also planning to build thermal power plants.
While the country needs an annual 4.5 million metric tons of coal concentrate, the current 1.5-million-ton production rate is considered as a serious challenge. Another challenge faced by the coal producers is the excessive import of the product. While China – one of the biggest importers of coal – has imposed protective tariffs on coal imports, Iran’s market has been filled with Australian and Indonesian coal concentrate and coke.
Coal is one of the most abundant but least developed mineral resources in Iran. Proven reserves are estimated at some 1,075 million metric tons, mainly in the form of coking and bituminous coal. There are three main operations and processing plants located in southeastern Kerman Province and also in the Alborz Mountains in the north of the country.
