Successful Bidders of Extraction and Processing of Iron Ore Announced

KABUL, Aug. 07 – The companies that have emerged victorious in the bid for the extraction and processing of four segments of an iron ore mine situated in the Ghorian district of Herat province, as well as one section of a lead mine located in the Tulak district of Ghor province, have been officially announced, said a statement of the economic deputy prime minister.

According to a statement guided by the Economic Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum initiated an open bidding process for the extraction of four sections of the iron ore mine in the Ghorian district of Herat province.

Following an extensive and transparent evaluation, the following enterprises have been declared as the winners:

1-Watan Dorokhshan Company, in which Azaran Industrial Structures Company holds a 70% stake, has secured the first section of the iron ore mine in the Ghorian district with an impressive score of 64.6 points.

2- Sahil Middle East Mining & Logistics Company whose shareholders are Dara-e-Noor, an Afghan company and Epcol, a Turkish company each 15%, has secured the second section of the iron ore mine in the Ghorian district with a score of 61 points.

3- Shamsh, an Afghan company, with GBM and AD Resources, British companies, as its 35% shareholders, has emerged as the winner for the third section of the iron ore mine in the Ghorian district with a score of 68.5 points.

4- Bakhtar Steel Company, with Ahya Sepahan and Parsian Iranian companies holding a 49% stake, has secured the fourth section of the iron ore mine in the Ghorian district with a score of 60.5 points. Significantly, a substantial portion of these contracts are in the hands of Afghan companies, which will collaborate with foreign counterparts to proficiently extract and process these resources within Afghanistan.

Among the four sections of the lead mine located in the Tulak district of Ghor Province, Afghan Invest Company has emerged as the winner for one of the sections. The proceeds from this mine will be allocated to public welfare projects, with a primary focus on domestic electricity generation and related endeavors. It’s important to highlight that numerous companies participated in the competitive bidding process.

In addition to the technical committees established by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, all participating entities, including representatives from inter-ministerial committees under the guidance of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Office, meticulously assessed the proposals. The aforementioned companies were declared winners following a transparent process, aligning with the evaluation criteria set forth by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum.Furthermore, subsequent to the bidding, all companies that engaged in the request for expression of interest and the request for proposal stages expressed their concerns regarding the bidding process and proposal evaluation procedures.

To address these concerns, an additional technical committee was constituted by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Office, headed by the Ministry of Economy. During its proceedings, this committee invited the critiquing companies to submit written grievances, which were duly addressed by the proposal evaluation committee of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, ultimately satisfying the concerned parties.

The contracts for the four segments of the iron ore mine in the Ghorian district of Herat province, as well as one segment of the lead mine in the Tulak district of Ghor province, have received approval from Amir-ul-Mumineen Sheikh-ul-Hadith Hibatullah Akhundzadah. Comprehensive details regarding the bidding and contract processes have been communicated to the leadership office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.