Coal industry of Uzbekistan.
The coal industry is an important branch of the fuel and energy complex of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Its contribution to the socio-economic development of the country is significant and is under constant control of the government.
This control is due to the following factors and difficulties caused mainly by a combination of natural and political factors, among which the following can be emphasized:
• the specifics of the geographical location of the state – lack of access to the seas and wide trade routes,
• complex configuration of the territory, the presence of hard-to-reach and remote from the center regions extended deep into the territory of other countries,
• incomplete demarcation of the state border with almost all neighboring countries,
• complex terrain – the presence of mountain ranges and desert zones,
• difficult mining and geological conditions of mineral deposits – depth of deposits, parameters of strata, etc.,
• climatic peculiarities – high ambient temperature, low precipitation, etc.,
• Conflict potential with neighboring states – former Soviet republics due to historical and socio-cultural reasons.
The mentioned factors restrain the replenishment of the resource base, development of transport infrastructure, modernization and replacement of fixed assets, expansion of trade, and economic cooperation with foreign partners.
This year marks the 76th anniversary of the establishment of JSC “Uzbekcoal”, the leading enterprise for coal production and supply in the country. It is part of the organizational structure of the Uzbekenergo joint stock company.
Annually, JSC “Uzbekugol” produces more than 5 million tons of coal.
There are fluctuations in the total volume of coal production: it reached a peak of 4.397 million tons/year in 2014, decreased in 2015 to 3.488 million tons/year, and has almost doubled since then. In recent years, lignite production has increased to about 5 million t/year and became 5.073 million t/year in 2022 and 5.829 million t/year in 2023 as a result of the Angren mine and power plant modernization program.
The main consumer of coal fuel is the power sector, which accounts for over 85 percent of total coal consumption.
The demand for solid fuel is also formed by industrial, social, and communal enterprises and the population.
The main priority of coal industry development at present is the expediency of substitution in the domestic market of such energy resources as natural gas and oil products used in electricity generation, increasing the share of coal in the structure of the energy balance of Uzbekistan.
