Coal production in Tajikistan has increased significantly from January to September 2014, up 180% year-on-year.
Total production stood at 610 000 t of coal, 273 000 t more than the same period in 2013.
An official at the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies said coal production has increased to 4500 tpd in recent months.
“To-date, some 70 000 t of coal have been stored in warehouses, storehouses of industrial enterprises and coal-selling outlets,” the source said.
Coal production has increased due to a shift of the country’s industrial enterprises from the more expensive natural gas and electricity to the more economical fuel – coal – for heating and other needs. Currently, more than 160 enterprises in Tajikistan use coal as a fuel.
The Fon-Yaghnob mine is Tajikistan’s largest coal-producing enterprise. Between January and May this year, it produced 121 600 t of coal.
Written by Sam Dodson