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Wardak Iron Ore Mine |
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General Information
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Afghan War News > General Info > Development > Wardak Iron Ore Mine
There are significant deposits of Iron Ore in the Hajikak area, bordering the provinces of Bamyan and Wardak. It is estimated that there are 1.8 billion metric tons of ore. The location of the deposit is about 60 miles west of Kabul. The Hajigak area is a range of treeless mountain ridges and hilltops. There is not much of a population in the area - mostly shepards and farmers. Afghanistan Geological Survey. Part of the Ministry of Mines. Provides information about the AGS, Afghan geology, minerals and mining, information resources, and more. Website is hosted by the British Geological Survey. Website available here - hosted by the British Geological Survey.
Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MOMP). The ministry
controls the bidding process for mining concessions and regulates the
mining industry in Afghanistan. Corruption. In Afghanistan corruption always plays a major role - especially in commercial activities with the scope of this iron ore deposit. The Afghan government says that it will abide with the provisions of the Extrative Industries Transparency Inititive (EITI) - an anti-corruption structure.But don't hold your breath. The EITI report for Afghanistan can be viewed here. Challenges to Extracting Ore. There are several issues that mining enterprises will need to take into account for the Hajigak iron ore deposits. The area does see some turmoil between the Hazara and Kuchis on a seasonal basis. The Taliban are quite capable of disrupting mining operations and interdicting the roads that allow the iron ore to be transported to market. Local governance in Afghanistan is problematic and many times absent or difficult to deal with. There are informal power brokers at the national and the local level in Afghanistan; all with their own agenda and hand out for "compensation".
Noorani, Javed. Hajigak: The Jewel of Afghan Mines. Integrity Watch Afghanistan Working Paper, Kabul: July 10, 2011. A comprehensive paper on the Hajigak iron ore deposit. Available here on ABC.NET.AU.
Renaud, Karine, David Sutphin, Stephen Peters, and Lawrence Drew.
Summary of the Haji-Gak Iron Area of Interest. Scientific paper about
the Haji-Gak ore area done in 2011. Publication accessed here on USGS.gov.
Earth Street View. Map of Hajigak area.
Mineral Maps of Afghanistan. Afghan Cadastre Maps.
Map of Afghan Mineral Tenders.
August 25, 2013. "SAIL-led consortium to invest only Rs 7,000cr in Afghan plant". Business Stardard. The initial investment has been pruned down. Read story here. July 24, 2013. "How Jindal Group landed mega iron ore deal in Afghanistan". DNA India. Access news story here. July 22, 2013. "Rashtriya Ispat decides to prune stake in Afghanistan project". ZeeBiz.com. Indian firm wants out of Hajigak iron ore mine venture. Cites numerous delays and uncertainty. See story here. October 14, 2011. "Mining for Silver Bullets: Why Afghan Minerals Won't Save the Country". By Aryn Baker, Time.com. Author states that the iron ore deposit at Hajigak won't help the economy as much as hoped. Access here. September 7, 2011. "Afghanistan's Hajigak Iron Ore Deposit Draws Bids From India, Iran, Canada". Bloomberg.com. Bids opened with the Afghan Mines Ministry. Access here. July 31, 2011. "Warlords, government capacity threaten Afghan mining: watchdog". Seniorific.com. Access here. May 30, 2011. "Many companies in race to mine Hajigak iron ore". Iron Ore Team. Access here. October 21, 2010. "In the Shadow of the Taliban, Afghanistan's Mining Sector is Open for Business", Forbes.com. Author provides background on the iron ore deposit and conducts interview of the Afghan Minister of Mines. Access here. September 29, 2010. "Afghanistan Opens Tender for Giant Iron Ore Mine". Mineprocessing.com. Access here. June 25, 2010. "Navigating Afghanistan". Mining Journal. Access here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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