TEHRAN: The Iranian coal industry, long underutilized despite its massive potential, is capable of driving the mining sector, boost energy production and create the sorely-needed jobs envisioned in the Sixth Five-Year Development Plan (2017-22).
Mr Ali Palizdar, deputy head of Middle East Mines and Mining Industries Development Holding Company, said in a write-up for the Persian economic weekly Tejarat-e Farda said that “Iran produces only 1.1 million tons of coal per year while it has 1.15 billion tons of proven reserves. This means Iran is missing out on a huge potential of job, wealth and energy creation.”
It might sound strange to talk of developing coal in a clean-energy obsessed age, as investments are shifting away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy across the world.
However, the International Energy Agency’s 2017 outlook has painted a different landscape, stating that fossil fuels will remain the world’s dominant energy sources for at least the next three decades.
IEA forecasts electricity generated using coal to increase by 10% by 2040. Also, about 74% of the world’s steel are made using blast furnaces and basic oxygen steelmaking , keeping up demand for the material. The 12% growth in coking coal production in 2011-15 is a testament to coal’s resilience. Large players such as Russia and the United States are increasingly investing in coal, while enjoying huge reserves of oil and gas. Currently, more than 40% of the world’s electricity are generated via coal and coal producing countries use an average of 0.8% of their coal reserves per year.
This is while Iran, hamstrung by its overdependence on oil, has missed out on diversifying its energy sources. It uses only 0.1% of its coal reserves and is yet to establish any coal power plant.
On top of all this, coal prices are looking highly attractive. Coking coal, the material used in steelmaking, has surged 37% in value since the beginning of November and is averaging $185.70 in 2017, a more than $40 gain compared to the average price of last year, Mining.com reported. The government has actually betted high on the mining sector to help deliver these goals. Mines are set to have an annual average value-added growth of 8.8% and an average job creation of 4.6%.
