Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev urged to raise domestic coal production to 6.5 million tonnes in 2023 at a meeting on energy supply recently, local media reported.
In response to the energy crisis last winter, the Uzbek government has actively promoted the conversion of heating facilities in greenhouses, cement plants, brick factories, kindergartens, schools, and hospitals from natural gas to coal.
The plan for this year includes the conversion of 5,407 social facilities such as schools and hospitals, 1,147 greenhouses, and 250 factories to coal heating, resulting in a 50% increase in coal demand.
However, the national coal production in the first quarter of this year stood at only 989,100 tonnes, a 14% decline from the year earlier.
President Mirziyoyev instructed the Minister of Mining and Geology, as well as relevant regional governors, to develop specific action plans. The coal production target was set to increase from 5.3 million tonnes to 6.5 million tonnes, a rise of 22.6%, with the aim of forming a coal reserve of 2 million tonnes by the end of November to guarantee the winter coal supply.
To achieve the aforementioned goals, the meeting called for expedited construction at the Shargun coal mine. Additionally, it was decided to provide $80 million in financing support to Angren Coal Mining Company, a subsidiary of Uzbekcoal, to expand coal production capacity.
(Writing by Alex Guo Editing by Harry Huo)
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