Ban Chaung Coal Mine

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Ban Chaung Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Dawei, Tanintharyi, Karen, Myanmar.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Ban Chaung Coal Mine	Dawei, Tanintharyi, Karen, Myanmar	13.832842, 98.688263 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	2012	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
0	–	–	Surface	Open Pit	–	50*	538*

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt)	Year of Total Reserves Recorded	Total Resources (Mt)	Coalfield	Coal Type	Coal Grade	Primary Consumer/ Destination
–	–	–	–	Subbituminous	Thermal	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Energy Earth PCL	Energy Earth PCL [100%]	Thailand

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker April 2024 release and the September supplement.

Background

The Ban Chaung coal mine is surface mine near Dawei, in Tanintharyi, Karen, Myanmar. The coal deposits at Ban Chaung were first surveyed under Burma’s past military regime during 2003, 2006 and 2007. Mining permits covering 2,100 acres (ca.850 ha) were granted to the Myanmar Mayflower Mining company during 2010-2011, in an area heavily affected by past fighting between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Myanmar Army.

In November 2011, East Star Company received a concession from KNU under a 25-year concession term, which expires in 2036. In November 2012, Energy Earth Company signed an agreement with East Star Company to jointly operate the project. Ban Chong According to the 2012 annual report of Energy Earth Company, East Star Company is the recipient of a concession area of ​​504.8 acres. The coal mine is operated by Energy Earth Company. It has also been stated that Energy Earth Company is the source of funds for this coal mining operation.

According to Inclusive Development International (IDI), as of 2017 the mine had proposed an expansion to double the size (which would be an additional 0.18 million tonnes per annum).

• Owner: Energy Earth Public Company Limited
• Parent Company: Energy Earth Public Company Limited
• Location: Dawei, in Tanintharyi, Karen, Myanmar
• Coordinates: 13.832842, 98.688263 (Exact)

• Status: Operating
• Production: 0.18 million tonnes per annum (500 tonnes per day) with additional 0.18 proposed
• Reserve:
• Start Year: 2012
• Mine Type: Surface
• Coal Type: Lignite
• Consumer:
• Source of financing:

Opposition and Environmental Concerns

The Ban Chaung coal mine is a large open-pit mine has been the focus of intense civil society opposition in Myanmar. In June 2017, representatives of indigenous Karen filed a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, alleging human rights violations caused by the activities of the Thai mining companies. According to the complaint, the mine has illegally seized villagers’ land, damaged the livelihood of locals, and polluted water bodies and the air.

According to the reports, the rivers used by locals for drinking, bathing, fishing and swimming were polluted from toxic mining waste, dumped by the companies into the streams. During rains, mining pits fill up with dirty water that is then pumped out by the companies onto farmland and streams.

A Thai news report from 2018 described a trip to the mine: "the mine has a large pit created by mining coal that has water trapped inside. In addition, two old sedimentation ponds were found surrounded by wooden fences amidst new grass and trees. Which is less than 5 meters away from a small Dabupola River". Local residents of Kuncheongyi village reported numerous health issues due to the mining activity. The area of the mine is 505 acres.

Another source from 2019 states that responding to strong community resistance, the regional government sent a team that confirmed the allegations of environmental contamination and ordered a suspension of the mine in early 2017. The KNU also withdrew support. However the mine still appeared to be operational in 2018.

As of February 2024, there were no additional sources to confirm whether the mine is operating or not, it is assumed that it is.

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Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.