Significant increase in production created for tungsten ore, iron ore and natural gas

Mitterlehner: Significant increase in production created for tungsten ore, iron ore and natural gas 

Mining Handbook 2011: Current Facts and Figures on mining and raw material supply published in Austria - Significant increases in production in 2010

Vienna (BMWA) - Austria supplies the mining industry with important minerals such as iron ore, tungsten, salt, gypsum, magnesite, limestone, gravel, petroleum and natural gas. To Austria is one of the largest tungsten producer in the Western world and may roughly 80 percent of the domestic annual consumption of natural gas stored in reservoirs: exciting facts like those found in the "Austrian Mining Manual 2011", now fresh from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour (BMWA ) was published.

 

"The mining industry has a crucial importance for our raw material supply and the competitiveness of domestic firms. As the new Mining Manual shows it was after the crisis of 2009, again significant increases in production," said the Commissioner for Energy and Mines Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner. Last year it was particularly in the promotion of tungsten ore (up 24.6 percent), iron ore (up 3.3 percent), salt (plus 4.3 percent) and natural gas (up 9.9 percent) striking increases.

 

The Mining Guide 2011 gives information about the location and development of the Austrian and international mining industry and its status for the supply of raw materials. In addition to the legal bases of economic and technical details of the mining activities are presented. Another focus section with statistics on the raw material supplies and the performance of the extractive and resource-processing industries. There are also contact details of agencies, organizations, institutions, associations, testing laboratories, companies and mine operators.

 

The "Austrian Mining Manual 2011" can be ordered as a booklet or CD post@IV7a.bmwfj.gv.at free on the civil service BMWFJ (tel. 0800-240258), or directly by e-mail address. In addition, the Mining Manual available for download.

 

Important facts about mining and raw material supply in Austria:

 

• There are in this country more than 1,200 above-ground workings (mines, quarries, "gravel pits") and 40 underground mines
• Around 5,000 directly related to the extraction (the removal) employed persons
• The mining industry supplies the Austrian economy with mineral resources like iron ore, tungsten, salt, gypsum, magnesite, limestone, gravels and sands, oil, gas, etc.
• Annual resource extraction of mineral resources in Austria of approximately 120 million tons
• Although the proportion of the Austrian mining industry to GDP is only 0.47 percent, this creates the basis for the domestic production of goods (about 19 percent of GDP)
• More than 1,500 oil and gas drilling, oil is at about 11 percent, natural gas to about 13 percent of domestic deposits
• Natural gas storage in depleted gas reservoirs: about seven billion cubic meters (equivalent to approximately 80 percent of the domestic annual consumption)
• Austria has one of the largest in the Styrian Breitenau underground magnesite mine in the world (used for fireproof building materials)
• Austria is one of the largest tungsten producer in the Western world (use: high-quality drilling tools for tunneling, special drills for printed circuit boards, etc.)
• Salt mining in Hallstatt is the oldest mine in the world (start of salt mining in the 12th century. BC). Increasing reuse of old mines as a leisure recreation area, mines, Heilstollen, refuges for fauna and flora

The Austrian actor mines were frequented by 710 000 visitors in 2010, the healing gallery of 21,600 patients