Afghanistan will begin mining thermal coal in its Baghlan province, deputy prime minister for economic affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar said on 7 November.
The project, in Pul-e-Khumri, consists of five mines with estimated coal reserves of 69.4mn t and is aimed at domestic energy production and "supporting the country's industrial growth", Baradar said.
No timeline was provided regarding the beginning of mining activity, but the mining contract has a duration of 30 years, and is expected to bring revenue of $60mn/yr.
Afghanistan previously exported coal by truck to Pakistan, although this trade flow ceased last year because of the escalating border conflict between the countries.
Afghanistan produced 1.18mn t of hard coal in 2024, according to the most recent UN data, while it was exporting around 100,000 t/month to Pakistan last year.
