Angoran underground mine opened without reliance on foreigners / IMIDRO pursues development of local employment in provinces

According to IMIDRO’s Public Relations, referring to the 100-year-old new activity in the Angoran mine, Khodadad Gharibpour, who spoke today at the opening ceremony of the Angoran underground lead and zinc mine said, “Activating the underground part of the Angoran mine has been one of the technological projects using Iranian technical knowledge.

In the ceremony, which was attended by the governor and officials of Zanjan province and the commander of Khatam Base, Gharibpour emphasized, “One of the strengths of the project is its early launch. While the project was expected to be completed within two years, production at the mine began three months after equipping."

The Deputy Minister of Mining Industry and Trade pointed to Iran's position in the production of non-ferrous metals and said, "The share of production of non-ferrous products such as lead and zinc, copper, gold and aluminum in the world's gross domestic product is $435bn."

He continued, “Out of 24 million tons of world cathode copper production, 250 thousand tons belong to Iran and out of roughly 4,000 tons of gold produced in the world, Iran with 10 tons production capacity produces 8.5 tons. Meanwhile, out of 62 million tons of world aluminum production, Iran has a capacity of 770 thousand tons and the current annual production is 350 thousand tons.” According to Gharibpour, Iran has a production capacity of 198,000 tons of lead and 208,000 tons of zinc, but in the zinc sector, we have less than 50% production.

Stating that IMIDRO has taken a new approach in the development of the non-ferrous metals sector, he said, “In this regard, with the aim of increasing production and development, the copper sector has increased capital by 10 thousand billion tomans. New copper development projects are also underway in Sistan and Baluchestan.” Noting that development will continue in Sungun and Sarcheshmeh, Gharibpour announced, “The Darrehzar copper mine will be opened this year.”

In another part of his speech about the development of the aluminum chain, he said, "The plan to produce alumina from nepheline syenite is being implemented with the presence of Khatam Base." He also said, "We are working on the processing of low-grade bauxite, with the aim of increasing alumina production."

“In the gold sector, the management of two strategic mines, Hird and Kuh-e-Dum, has been handed over to the private sector and the Hird mine is expected to be opened this year,” Gharibpour stated about gold mines.

The CEO of IMIDRO also pointed to the development of precious and semi-precious stones and said, "This sector has a high role in employment, as 160 people who were trained recently have acquired jobs by purchasing the necessary equipment. "

Noting that IMIDRO's approach in all provinces is to develop local employment, he said: "In the Angoran underground mining project, 70% are local and 30% are specialized workers."

Gharibpour added, "We have informed the contractor of Angoran mine to sign a contract with HEPCO to supply machinery." He announced the strengthening of infrastructure in the mining provinces as one of IMIDRO's priorities and added, " Infrastructure funding has increased and has grown significantly."

Gharibpour continued, “In the construction project of Lamerd-Parsian-Persian Gulf road, we will have a 50% partnership with the Ministry of Roads.” The Deputy Minister of Mining Industry and Trade emphasized, “In the field of infrastructure development, IMIDRO plays a national role and one of the main projects in this field is the development of the 800-kilometer Sangan-Bafgh railway line.”

About IMIDRO’s exploration activities in the provinces, Gharibpour said, "If the provinces provide IMIDRO with the desired exploration zone, this organization would carry out exploration programs in those areas without financial restrictions."

The CEO of IMIDRO also referred to the previous situation of HEPCO and said, "This week, with the memorandum signed between large mining companies and HEPCO under the leadership of IMIDRO we will see a change in the dynamics of this machine production company as well as its products."