Kara-Keche Coal Mine

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Kara-Keche Coal Mine (Кара-Кече) is an operating coal mine in Jumgal, Naryn, Kyrgyzstan.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Kara-Keche Coal Mine	Jumgal, Naryn, Kyrgyzstan	41.723924, 74.793377 (exact)

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

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	1985	–

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
–	1.15	2023	Surface	Open Pit	–	50*	473*

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
191	–	313	Kara-Keche	Lignite	Thermal	Bishkek power station

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Kyrgyz Komur State Enterprise	Kyrgyz Komur State Enterprise [100%]	Kyrgyzstan

Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)

Note: The asterisk (*) indicates that the value is an estimated figure based on various factors, including the company's forecasted or reported monthly or quarterly production data, etc.

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Saleable	0	0	0	0	0	1*	1

Expansion/Extension

Table 6: Project status

* Added capacity of a coal mine refers to the enhancement in the mine's production capabilities beyond its initial production capacity.

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Project Phase	Added Capacity (Mtpa)*	Start Year
Proposed	Announced	Expansion	–	0	2030 (planned)

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 Kara-Keche Coal Mine is an operating surface coal mine in Naryn Oblast, Kyrgyzstan. The Kara-Keche coal mine is a surface lignite coal mine owned by Kyrgyz Komur, a state-owned coal company. It is the largest coal mine in Kyrgyzstan.

The mine is located in the Kara-Keche lignite coalfield and supplies coal to Bishkek power station.

In September 2020, a large landslide with a volume of 0.9 million m³ came down at the field at the 37th km of the Dyikan-Karakichi highway. The landslide blocked the bed of the Karakichi River, destroyed power lines and blocked the road. Construction of the bypass road began later that month.

Sale of the mine's coal was briefly suspended at the end of December 2021 until mid-January 2022 due to works at the quarry and exploration of a new coal seam.

According to Kyrgyz Komur's website, the coal mine produced 0.55 million tonnes of coal in 2019 and 0.72 million in 2021. The plan for 2022 production was 1 million tonnes.

According to national statistical data, 1.3 million tonnes was produced in 2021 in the Naryn Oblast where the Kara-Keche mine is located. Production in the Naryn Obalst increased to 1.7 million tonnes in 2022. As of mid-December 2023, 1.15 million tonnes of coal has been produced since the start of the year.

In September 2023, it was announced that a coal enrichment plant would be built at the site of the Kara-Keche coal field between 2023 and 2025. The processed coal would reportedly supply Bishkek power station. In the first half of 2024, the mine produced 0.44 million tonnes of coal and the annual plan for 2024 is 0.95 million tonnes.

Expansion

The expansion of the mine has been considered to supply the proposed Kara-Keche power station.The draft of the Concept for the Development of the Energy Sector in the Kyrgyz Republic up to 2030 (developed in 2020), stated the plan to increase production at the Kara-Keche mine up to 1.6 million tonnes by 2025 and up to 1.9 million tonnes by 2030.

The power plant project was considered Shelved or Cancelled, but was mentioned again in spring 2022. Although there were no news on the expansion of the mine for several years, the proposal to build the Kara-Keche power plant remained 'announced', as of October 2024, so the coal mine status remained the same.

Coal in Kyrgyzstan

Coal production in Kyrgyzstan reached 3.1 million tonnes and 3.6 million tonnes in 2022. This represents a significant increase from just 0.6 million in 2010 and 2.4 million tonnes in 2018.

Since 2012 the coal sector has been managed by the state-owned Kyrgyz Komur, which acts as an umbrella organisation for about 30 small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the coal sector, some of which engage only in seasonal production during the autumn-winter period. However Kyrgyz Komur operates only the Kara-Keche mine. On its website Kyrgyz Komur states that it acts as a partnership for 14 companies operating in the Kavak coal basin that supply coal to Bishkek power station.

• Owner: Kyrgyz Komur State Enterprise ("Кыргыз көмүр")
• Parent: Government of Kyrgyzstan
• Location: 32km south of Bashkugandy, in Jumgal District, Naryn Oblast, Kyrgyzstan
• GPS Coordinates: 41.723924, 74.793377 (exact)
• Status: Operating
• Production: 1.2 million tonnes (2020), 1.7 million tonnes (2022)
• Total Reserves: 313 MT
• Recoverable Reserves: 191 MT
• Coal type: Lignite (Thermal)
• Mine Type: Surface
• Start Year: 1985
• Source of Financing:

Project Expansion Details

• Status: Proposed
• Capacity: 0.9 million tonnes per annum (up to 1.9 million tonnes)
• Total Reserves:
• Start Year: 2030
• Source of Financing:

Articles and Resources

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.