According to the International Iranian Stone Exhibition, there are currently six hundred and forty-eight mines in South Khorasan as the third largest province of Iran with two and a half billion tons of definite reserves and eighteen million tons of nominal extraction, which has provided employment for twelve thousand people. .

According to the latest official statistics, six percent of the country's total mines, five and one percent of definite reserves, two and four percent of nominal extraction and eight and a half percent of employment in the country's mines belong to South Khorasan and is the fourth mineral province.

Coal, magnesite, industrial soils, decorative stones, bentonite, chromite, iron ore, dolomite, andalusite, marble, basalt, gold, copper, silica, fluorine, potash and lead and zinc are the most important minerals in the desert province of South Khorasan.

It was in August of last year that the head of the Industry, Mining and Trade Organization of South Khorasan stated in the meeting of the administrative council of the province: Resources have been allocated to the province for exploration.

Davood Shahraki stated: More than forty percent of aerial geophysical studies prepared in the country are related to South Khorasan.

He added: South Khorasan now has the first rank of coal production, the second rank of ceramic tiles, the fourth rank of rubber production and the seventh rank of the country's mining.

The mining sector has a lot of overt and covert power and added value, and for years the government has realized the importance and effective role of this sector in improving economic conditions and achieving sustainable development in the economy.

According to experts, the mining and mineral industries sector is the driver of the economy, and with the transformation of this sector, other industrial and economic sectors of the country will be activated.

The professor of Birjand University believes that South Khorasan has conditions in terms of geological position that its unknowns are much more than its known ones.

Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Khatib said: "In addition to what has been studied as an index so far and the sections where mineral exploration has been done, there are also sections for which no action has been taken."

He said: "In addition to metal minerals, there are many non-metallic minerals in the province that can be exploited."

Adviser to the Governor of South Khorasan on Land Management, Environment and Sustainable Development added: In 1999, the Supreme Leader traveled to this province and allocated three billion tomans of credit for mining exploration.

He said: "After the exploration, the results should be tangible for the people, so we are very grateful that special attention has been paid to mines such as Nehbandan Heird Gold and Ghaenat Steel, and we hope that these efforts will continue."

Aerial geophysical studies in eighty-six thousand square kilometers of the province

The head of South Khorasan Industry, Mining and Trade Organization stated: In the 11th government, air geophysical operations were carried out in South Khorasan and during this period, eighty-six thousand square kilometers of the province's area was studied by air geophysics, which led to the identification of one hundred and seven talented areas. A mine was credited with seventy-two billion tomans.

Shahraki added: more than twenty-three thousand square kilometers of the province have been liberated for investors in exploration.

He stated: Four stages of the public call for auctions were held in 1397 and 1398 for two hundred and ninety-two exploration areas with an area of ​​five thousand seven hundred and fifty-one square kilometers and sixty-nine areas with an area of ​​two hundred and ninety square kilometers.

The head of the South Khorasan Industry, Mining and Trade Organization stated: Calling and handing over four exploration zones with an area of ​​about 20,000 square kilometers this year has been another measure.

He stated: In 1397, the initial exploratory studies were completed and the release of stagnant and inactive exploration areas and areas with an area of ​​thirty-five thousand square kilometers in the province, including two hundred and sixty-three areas and ten exploration zones and public call announcement through cadastral system. It was on the agenda.

Shahraki said: "Also, the completion of initial exploratory studies and the release of aerial geophysical exploration zones with an area of ​​twenty-three thousand six hundred square kilometers in the province, including two exploration zones, and the announcement of a public call through the cadastral system this year."

He added: Exploration by the private sector in an area equal to one thousand two hundred and sixty-nine square kilometers and the forecast of exploration investment equal to one hundred and eighty-five billion rials with the issuance of fifty-five exploration licenses in 1397 and sixty to January Apart from other measures in the field of mines in the province.

The head of the South Khorasan Industry, Mining and Trade Organization announced the growth of two hundred and eighty-three percent in the registration of applications for exploration areas on the cadastre system and continued: the registration of applications increased from 1,392 to 3,000 And nine hundred and seventy cases increased in 1397, which has continued in subsequent years.

He stressed that the completion of exploration studies in the field of gold with the forecast of twenty tons of gold, seven hundred thousand tons of lead and zinc, three million tons of iron, eight hundred and forty million tons of coal and the identification of new reserves is one of the most important measures.

Double the transfer of mining to the private sector

Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Industries of the Industry, Mining and Trade Organization of South Khorasan stated: Until 2014, about three hundred and thirty mines were transferred to the private sector, but now this number has doubled and reached six hundred and thirty mines.

Mohammad Salari added: out of sixty-five types of minerals known in the country, forty-two types exist in South Khorasan and are extracted.

He said: more than fifty percent of the province's area in the government of prudence and hope has been subjected to aerial geophysical studies and mineral-prone areas have been identified.

He continued: "South Khorasan has well-known capacities, including the existence of more than seventy percent of the country's coal reserves in the province and city of Tabas."

The Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Industries of the South Khorasan Industry Organization stated: "We are one of the top provinces in the country in terms of magnesite mineral, as there are more than seventy percent of the country's known reserves in this province and we have more than seven million tons of definite reserves."

He added: "We have 20 tons of identified gold in the province and in this regard, two gold processing factories are under construction, which has achieved significant progress."

Salari added: "Due to the good reserves of metal minerals, including iron ore, three steel and cast iron factories have been built or are being set up in the province."

Large companies welcome investment in South Khorasan

Also, in recent years, following the management of the province and introducing the capabilities of South Khorasan at the national level, the capacity of large organizations and companies, especially Idro, Imidro, Shasta, Geological Survey in various fields of mines has been used.

The governor of South Khorasan recently announced the readiness of the Social Security Investment Company (Shasta) to invest 1,800 billion tomans in the province and continued: Mineral capacities are one of the most important drivers of development in South Khorasan province.

Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian said: "Since March 2016 and after Shasta entered the Tabas coal, good things have happened in the region, which is significant."

He said: "In the current situation and by announcing Shasta's readiness to develop investments in South Khorasan, what is among the obligations of the province will be given priority in the programs and measures will be taken in line with the memorandum."

The governor of South Khorasan stated: in the eleventh and twelfth governments, special attention has been paid to the mining sector and with the entry of Imidro, Idro, Shasta and Geological Survey companies into this field, good things have happened in the province.

The CEO of the Social Security Investment Company also said that the field is fully prepared for investment in South Khorasan Province.

Mohammad Rezvanifar, referring to the results of his two-day trip to South Khorasan and a field visit to the province's facilities, pointed to Shasta's successful presence in the Tabas coal mine and added: "Considering the good profitability of our coal investment, we came to the conclusion that the volume of investments Let's increase in this regard.

He added: Shasta company will soon increase its investment volume in Tabas coal mine from fifty billion tomans to two hundred billion tomans.

Shasta CEO stated: This company will spend seven hundred billion tomans to launch the second line of mechanized mining and by investing more than one thousand billion tomans in Tabas coal, at least one thousand one hundred direct jobs will be created.

He said: "With the follow-ups, coal will soon enter the stock market and some of the workers working in this complex can benefit from this opportunity."

Rezvanifar called South Khorasan province one of the most unique regions of the country in terms of number, variety and quality of mines and noted: In the next few days, in order to focus more on work and start exploration projects, we will set up a specialized engineering office in the center of the province.

He said: "According to the needs of the production units of the complex in different regions of the country, we plan to exploit bentonite mines, iron ore, silica, industrial soil and copper in the province."

Shasta CEO added: The biggest consumer of iron ore is Isfahan Steel and one hundred percent of Tabas coal products go to Isfahan, which is a carefree market.

He emphasized: Shasta investment in bentonite mines in North South Khorasan is definite and will be implemented soon.

Imidro and Idro activities in South Khorasan

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Organization for Development and Renovation of Mines and Mining Industries of Iran (Imidro) stated: This organization has an investment and commitment of 400 billion Tomans in the infrastructure sector of the mines of South Khorasan Province.

Khodadad Gharibpour named South Khorasan as the fourth mineral province in the country and added: "Last year, new exploration projects were added to the province's mineral zones because Paya Consortium and Imidro have started good explorations in the province. After explorations, the province's nominal mineral reserves will increase." 

He stated that the mineral reserves will move towards investment, mining development and mining industries: "Also, with the governor's visit and follow-up, the study of access to Shahkuh mines was done."

He added: "We hope that the mineral capacity of South Khorasan province, which was part of the study or implementation area today, will flourish in the future."

The Memorandum of Understanding between the Industrial Investment Partnership of the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) and the South Khorasan Governor's Office was signed in December last year.

According to this memorandum, it was decided that the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran will invest one thousand billion tomans in South Khorasan in the field of industry and mining, and in the first phase of this memorandum, the implementation of three industrial projects with a credit of five hundred and sixty billion tomans and employment of three hundred Fifty people start.

Public and governmental institutions, including the Khatam al-Anbia (PBUH) construction camp and the executive headquarters of Imam Khomeini (as), have also participated in strengthening and developing the mining sector with the aim of eliminating deprivation in different parts of South Khorasan province.

The head of the Industry, Mining and Trade Organization of South Khorasan stated in connection with the latest situation of the province's mines: In the field of exploration with a credit of ninety billion Tomans, an area of ​​fifty thousand square kilometers was covered by aerial geophysical studies, which led to the identification of seventy-seven areas It became promising in this province.

Davood Shahraki added: "Some of these areas will be completed by Imidro, Iran Minerals Production Company and the Geological Survey, and some will be explored and exploited through privatization."

He said: "This year, ten mining exploration areas in the province will be handed over to companies with technical and financial competence that have the necessary capacity for exploration and exploitation."

The head of the Industry, Mining and Trade Organization of South Khorasan, stating that six of these areas are exploratory mines and four can be exploited: in Tabas city, three mines, Sarbisheh and Khosf cities, two mines each and Zirkuh, Bashravieh and between each city Which mine will be handed over?

He said: "In the first three months of this year, five mining licenses have been issued with the storage of four and a half million tons and the creation of twenty-one jobs."

Shahraki stated that the annual extraction of these five exploitation licenses is about one hundred and thirty thousand tons and said: about seven billion tomans have been invested in these five licenses.

Referring to the activities in the field of industry, he said: In the first three months of this year, eight exploitation licenses with an investment of twelve billion tomans have been issued for the employment of eighty-three people.

* IRNA