Kumtor and New Projects: How the Mining Industry of Kyrgyzstan is Strengthening

From 2021 to 2025, the mining sector of Kyrgyzstan has shown steady growth, marked by an increase in investments, activation of geological exploration, and implementation of new projects. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision, particularly significant successes were achieved in 2024 and 2025.

As a result of large-scale geological exploration at Kumtor in 2024, gold reserves increased by 147.4 tons and were added to the state balance. This opens up the possibility of extending the operation of the mine for decades, ensuring its stable operation in accordance with environmental and social standards.

Additionally, in 2025, gold and silver reserves from the Kumtor tailings storage facility, amounting to 121 tons of gold and 225 tons of silver, were included in the state balance. The implementation of this project is planned for 17 years. Project works were completed in the first half of 2025, after which the operation of several key facilities began.

At the Buchuk site of the Solton-Sary deposit in the Naryn region, the gold processing plant is already operating in pilot mode and has started gold production.

Moreover, the Ministry of Natural Resources noted a growing interest in the coal industry. Since the beginning of 2025, 34 licenses for coal mining have been issued, and over 20 new sites have been put into operation. These include the gold-bearing Shakhtal deposit in the Naryn region and the coal deposits of Kozho-Kelen and Besh-Burkhan in the Osh region.

The ministry emphasizes that the measures being taken are aimed at meeting the needs of the domestic market and increasing the export potential of the country.