Decline in Coal Concentrate Output

EghtesadOnline: The combined output of Iran’s two major coal producers stood at 84,116 tons of coal concentrates during the first two months of the current fiscal year (started March 20, 2021), lower than 107,000 tons produced during last year’s similar period, the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization reported on its website.

News ID: ۷۸۶۵۴۲

28 June 2021

Tabas Parvadeh Coal Company accounted for 66,644 tons of the total output and Central Alborz Coal Company produced the remaining 17,000 tons.

The two companies extracted 211,400 tons of coal during the two months under review, lower than the previous year's 258,000 tons.

IMIDRO-affiliated coal producers delivered 106,718 tons of coal concentrates to domestic customers, posting a slight decline compared with the same period of last year, when about 110,000 tons were delivered.

The two plants produced 31,000 tons of coal concentrate during the second month of the year, which figure stood at 60,000 tons during the same period of last year.

A total of 34,400 tons of coal were delivered during the month to May 20. Extractions stood at 87,700 tons during the one-month period.

The two companies' output during the last fiscal year grew by 8% to reach 715,830 tons. The number stood at 664,568 tons during the previous year.

Tabas Parvadeh Coal Company accounted for 616,159 tons of the total number.

The two companies extracted 1,669,515 tons of coal during the year under review and delivered about 698,184 tons of coal concentrates to their customers during the period.

Iranian coal mines, with about 1.15 billion tons of combined reserves, have the capacity to produce up to 3 million tons of coal concentrates annually.

Iranian steelmakers consumed around 2.5 million tons of coal concentrate in the last Iranian year (March 2019-20), of which 1.6 million (64%) were supplied by domestic mines and the rest were procured through imports.

However, based on industrial developments and with the new steel companies coming on stream, the country’s coal concentrate demand is projected to reach 4 million tons per year.

Experts believe the support of Industries Ministry will help boost annual coal extraction to 10 million tons, from which 5 million tons of concentrate could be produced.

There are reportedly 185 small- and large-scale coal mines in Iran, of which only 60% are active, IRNA reported.

Around 17,000 people are working in the coal sector, which can be doubled if the infrastructures are provided to revive the idle mines.