Iran Ranks 7th in World in Copper Reserves
Iran Ranks 7th in World in Copper Reserves
The Managing Director of National Iranian Copper Industries Company  (NICICO) Ardeshir Sa'ad Mohammadi says Iran with having 36.5m tons of copper reserves ranks seventh in the world and the country seeks to increase its copper production to 600,000 tons per year in the next five years.

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Managing Director of National Iranian Copper Industries Company  (NICICO) Ardeshir Sa’ad Mohammadi says Iran with having 36.5m tons of reserves ranks seventh in the world and the country seeks to increase its copper production to 600,000 tons per year in the next five years.

Speaking in the 3rd Iran Non-Ferrous Industries Market and Related Technologies Conference and Exhibition which was held at Olympic Hotel of Tehran, Sa’ad Mohammadi said to create development and progress, the country needs change in thinking and also modern multisystem equipment and drilling fleet, adding that so far 15 new drilling machines have been purchased.

He went on to say that Iran by having 36.5m tons of reserves, equal to 4.2 percent of the world’s copper reserves, ranks seventh in the world. He said Sarcheshmeh copper mine ranks 29, Sungun mine ranks 76th and Miduk ranks 114th, and they are among the biggest copper mines in the world.

Sa’ad Mohammadi noted that NICICO is able to slip into the top 10 world copper producers, adding that world major copper companies are reducing the carat of their products to protect production and demand, and Iran is moving in the same direction but has increased its operational tonnage.

He reiterated that the approach in this industry should change and the industry should move on course to reduce costs in terms of economic aspect and also to boost safety.

He said the copper cathode production has been 217,000 tons this year and the company can increase 180,000 tons more by the yearend and which means the company is 11 percent ahead of the schedule. He added that in anode production, the amount of production has been 14 percent more than the last year schedule, adding that the company has earned some 28,000b tomans through sales in nine months and the dividend of the company has increased 35 percent due to its good performance.

Sa’ad Mohammdi then pointed to some plans of the NICICO for the future, saying that the company is determined to increase the copper production to 600,000 tons per year in five years, and currently the slag floatation unit is under construction at Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex.

  • source : IRAN NEWS