Iran tenders new gold mine in Qazvin

Iran has tendered development of a new gold deposit in its northern Qazvin province which it seeks to develop with the participation of the private sector, the IRNA news agency says. 

Early prospecting at the Niku’iye gold zone in Takestan has produced promising results, head of exploration at the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) Ali Asgharzadeh said on Wednesday.

So far, a European company has indicated interest in the project, he said without revealing its name, IRNA reported. Prospective bidders have until Oct. 18 to submit their offers to IMIDRO for the Niku’iye project, Asgharzadeh said.

The deposit spans an area of about 10 square kilometers, where operations are at the semi-detailed exploration phase.

Iran is currently working to bring its Zarshuran and Dashkasan mines into operation, which could raise the country’s annual gold output to 10 metric tons. Its proven gold reserves are currently estimated at 340 metric tons lying in 24 mines across the country.

Iran’s major gold deposits are Zarshuran and Aqdareh in the West Azarbaijan province, Dashkasan in Kurdesatan, Moteh in Isfahan, Kuh-e Zar in Razavi Khorasan and Kharvana in East Azarbaijan.

Further proven gold reserves are located in Kerman, South Korasan, Yazd, Markazi, Hamedan and Qom provinces.

Zarshuran, as the Middle East’s biggest gold deposit, will yield 6 metric tons of gold a year after the current expansion of the processing facility is complete by 2017. The country will also open the Dashkasan mine with a capacity to produce 2 metric tons per year.

Iran’s proven gold reserves are the world’s 46th among more than 100 countries with considerable deposits of the precious metal. The country of 80 million, however, is one of the top 10 biggest gold consumers, according to existing figures.