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| U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2005-3073 | ||||
| This report is USGS Afghanistan Project Product No. 002 |
Published 2005
Online only
Version 1.0
The USGS Afghanistan Project
Afghanistan has moderate to potentially abundant coal resources. Much of the coal is relatively deep or currently inaccessible, however, and the scale of development has been limited. Indigenous coal has been used in Afghanistan for small industry (notably in the manufacturing of cement and textiles, and in food processing), and as a primary source of household fuel in both raw and briquetted forms. Electrical generation from coal has occurred only on a temporary basis when coal was used as a substitute fuel for generation by natural gas. The main factors limiting the more widespread use of coal in the past appear to have been the rugged terrain of the country, the lack of a transportation network to deliver coal, and the absence of an industrial infrastructure to utilize the coal. In addition, the geology of Afghan coal is poorly understood, and much of the known coal occurs in structurally deformed areas where exploitation can be difficult.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting a cooperative coal resource assessment of Afghanistan with the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Industries (MMI). The assessment is one component of a much larger program that the USGS is conducting in Afghanistan under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Coal tipple, Dudkash Mine, Baghlan Province, north-central Afghanistan.
This report is available in Adobe Acrobat format.
Fact Sheet 2005-3073 [1.75-MB PDF].
For scientific questions or comments concerning this report, contact John SanFilipo.
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