Copper company launches five infrastructure projects in Kerman
Iran inaugurated five national projects in Kerman Province on Thursday with total investment of about €187 million, aiming to boost productivity, secure energy supplies, expand rail transport and strengthen regional infrastructure.
The projects, implemented by the National Iranian Copper Industries Company (NICIC), were inaugurated by President Masoud Pezeshkian via videoconference during a ceremony in Shahr-e Babak county, president.ir reported.
The first project is the Khatoonabad Slag Flotation Plant, with an investment of €95 million. It has an annual production capacity of 36,000 metric tons of copper concentrate with a grade of about 22%.
The plant recovers copper from slag generated during the smelting process, returning the copper contained in the slag to the production cycle. The project is expected to generate annual revenue of about $106 million and directly employ 194 people. Construction took about four years.
The second project is a 42-megawatt self-supplied power plant at Khatoonabad, built with an investment of €35 million to ensure a stable electricity supply for production and help manage electricity shortages.
The plant was synchronized with the national grid during its commissioning in June. It directly employs 38 people, and construction took about 2.5 years.
The third project connects the Khatoonabad smelter to Iran's national rail network. The project, valued at €19 million, includes 17.6 km of rail infrastructure and provides annual transport capacity of 600,000 metric tons of sulfuric acid and at least 2 million metric tons of concentrate.
It is expected to reduce road transport, save about 8.5 million liters of diesel annually, cut emissions and improve safety. The project directly employs 35 people and took about 5.5 years to complete.
The fourth project is the first section of a second carriageway on the Meydok-Shahr-e Babak Copper Complex road. The €20-million project includes 15 km of road ready for use and was carried out to improve traffic safety, reduce road accidents and facilitate the transport of minerals and equipment. Construction of this section took about 2.5 years.
The fifth project is the first phase of a 10,000-seat stadium in Shahr-e Babak, built on 24 hectares with an investment of €18 million.
The stadium was built to expand sports and cultural infrastructure, promote public well-being and improve the quality of life in the region. The project directly employs 55 people and took about 5.5 years to complete.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said during the ceremony that Kerman Province has significant potential for using wind and solar energy and that efforts should be made to reduce dependence on fossil fuels by making use of those resources.
Industry minister Mohammad Atabak also said that since the start of Government Week on August 24, 27 industrial and mining projects with a combined investment of €1.4 billion and about 2,000 jobs had been put into operation with the participation of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade and the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization.
He expressed hope that the implementation of industrial and mining projects would continue at the same pace in the coming months.