Touraj Zare, CEO of IMPASCO, stated in an interview with Titrsanat News Agency that the company, with its active presence in 20 provinces, not only carries out exploration operations but also engages in extensive cooperation with the private sector to develop precious metal and coal mines.™

Referring to the improvement in the conditions of exploration companies, he said: “The situation of exploration companies in the country has improved significantly, and we hope to carry out exploration operations on a larger scale next year.”

Zare, while referring to the measures taken in Yazd Province, said: “In recent meetings, there has been great optimism for achieving tangible results in this region by the end of the year.”

He emphasized that IMPASCO plays a key role in overseeing the activities of the private sector to achieve an optimal combination of government and private investment.

He added: “In the past 10 years, extensive studies have been carried out in all provinces, and currently, ownership of 250 exploration zones is in the hands of this company, which is expected to increase to 600–700 zones. For example, in West Azerbaijan, around 80 to 90 exploration licenses for gold and metals have been issued, in which the private sector is actively participating.”

The CEO of IMPASCO, regarding attracting private sector investment, said: “Our goal is to establish companies with at least 50% private sector shares, and we introduce ready-to-operate mines to these investors.”

He referred to major mining projects and added: “The Koloocheh gold mine, with reserves of 3.5 million tons, is an example of such mines that has attracted private sector interest in its development phase.” Zare also pointed to the production capacities created and said: “Two plants with an annual production capacity of 200 to 400 kilograms have been launched, employing around 400 people.”

New mining equipment has been imported into the country, and by the end of the year, a plant with an annual production capacity of 200 kilograms of gold will be inaugurated.

Regarding the mines of South Khorasan Province, he stated: “We have a special focus on attracting investors and activating mines, especially in the coal sector and the Jan Jaja and Goland mines, where efforts to attract investment are underway.”

In response to a question about the use of financial instruments in the capital market, Zare said: “Despite the challenges, plans such as tokenizing mines in the Commodity Exchange have been proposed so that, through this method, we can attract foreign investors as well as small domestic investments.”

In conclusion, the CEO of IMPASCO emphasized that infrastructure development and government support in the fields of energy and mining are vital for the active and effective participation of the private sector in advancing the country’s mineral exploration and production.

This report clearly shows that IMPASCO, as the governmental development and supervisory arm, is taking serious and effective steps toward sustainable mining development and attracting private sector and capital market investments, with the goal of fostering the country’s industrial growth.