TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran produced 115,700 tons of copper cathode during the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 20-August 21), which marks a five percent growth compared to the figure for the same period last year.
According to a report by IRNA on Tuesday, Iranian copper plants also produced 24,621 tons of copper cathode during the month to August 21, indicating a 23 percent growth compared to related figure for last year.
Production of copper concentrate in Iran surpassed 493,000 tons during the five-month period, showing a one percent growth year-on-year, added the report.
The report added that the country produced 89,000 tons of copper concentrate during the month to August 21, four percent more compared to the figure for the same period last year.
In early May, four development projects worth about $952.3 million were inaugurated in the copper sector of the southeastern Iranian province of Kerman.
President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the projects through a videoconference.
All pertaining to Khatoonabad Copper Complex, the projects included increasing the complex’s copper smelting capacity as well as building a copper concentrate storage facility, a sulfuric acid production plant and an oxygen-supplying unit there.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Khodadad Gharibpourt, the managing director of the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).
The completion of the first project has helped increase the complex’s copper anode production capacity by 50 percent to reach 120,000 tons. It has also caused the country’s copper smelting capacity to rise to 400,000 tons per year. This project has created 120 jobs.
Some 1.11 trillion rials (about $26.4 million) plus $118 million were invested in this project.
The second project, which was the construction of a 60,000-ton storage facility, was implemented with 158 billion rials (about $3.7 million), plus €3 million in investments. It has generated 250 jobs.
The value of investments in the third project amounted to 750 billion rials (about $17.8 million), plus €100 million. The fourth plan was implemented with investments worth 192 billion rials (about $4.5 million), plus €31 million.
Iran plans to produce 1.42 million tons of copper concentrate by March 20, 2021.
- source : Iran Daily
