Mine owners in Khorasan Razavi are experiencing anxiety over the shutdown of machinery and the halt of furnaces this coming winter instead of focusing on setting new extraction records. With nearly 3 billion tons of identified mineral resources, Khorasan Razavi is recognized as a key pillar in the policy of replacing income from mines instead of oil. However, despite this potential, existing realities in the field of fuel supply for mines have created serious challenges.
Energy Imbalance and Its Effects on Production
The reality is that the seventh development plan has a structural separation from energy realities. Development plans that are formulated based on quantitative targets can hardly achieve success without considering the necessary infrastructure. The chronic energy imbalance in the country, which manifests itself during peak winter cold with a daily gas shortfall of 100 to 150 million cubic meters, has led to negative impacts on mine production. In these conditions, mines are always at the bottom of the fuel allocation priority table, leading to the shutdown of work shifts and the adjustment of local workers.
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Challenges of Fuel Supply and Proposed Solutions
Mining activists in the province are spending a significant portion of their efforts overcoming administrative obstacles and securing fuel instead of focusing on extraction. Obsolete systems and the registration of drip-feed quotas have posed serious challenges for mine owners. In this regard, basing quotas on the annual program rather than past records could be considered an effective measure to improve the fuel supply situation for mines.
The development of renewable energy and offsetting government rights with these projects are also other solutions that could help improve conditions. If the government and the responsible ministries do not want the goals of the seventh program in the mining sector to become archived statistics, they must quickly take actions to reform the fuel allocation method.
Otherwise, this winter we will also witness the shutdown of mines and consequently more economic problems. The consequences of these inconsistencies will not only affect mine owners but also impact the lives of people and the housing market.
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