Iran's copper output will more than double from the current level of 115,000 tons annually to 280,000 tons by the end of the Third Five-Year Economic Development Plan in March 2005, an official said on Saturday.
The managing director of Iranian Copper Industry Co. (ICIC), Abdolreza Hashemzaie, told the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, that with the rise in output, the domestic market would have the capacity to absorb 30 percent of the amount, while the remainder would be exported.
He said that the company currently had six projects to produce copper across the country, including Sungun Copper field, which he called a comparatively major project.
Hashemzaie said that currently, 99 percent of Iranian copper was being produced at Sarcheshmeh copper field.
He said Iran was estimated to hold five percent of the world's copper reserves.
He also called for encouraging the private sector to invest in producing copper – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
