Decrease in Iran Quarterly Coal Concentrate Output

Production of coal concentrate in Iran dropped 4.4% during the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-June 20), from the first quarter of the past year, IRNA reported on Monday, citing the data released by Industry, Mine and Trade Ministry.  The ministry’s data show that 340,000 tons of coal concentrate have been produced in the first quarter of this year, while the figure was 355,800 tons in the same period of time in the previous year.

As previously announced by the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), the annual production of coal in Iran reached 1.585 million tons in the previous Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended on March 19). 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% are currently active, while 10 mines are being equipped and prepared, and the rest are idle. - Tehran Times