Kyrgyzstan considers exporting coal only by rail

By Trend

Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Economy submitted for a public discussion a draft resolution proposing exporting coal from Kyrgyzstan only by rail, Trend reports via tazabek.kg.

"In order to reduce the smuggling and illegal turnover of goods across the state border, it was suggested to export coal from Kyrgyzstan only by rail transport," the document says.

About 30-35 percent of the total volume of coal produced in Kyrgyzstan is exported to third countries, and the share of exports by rail is about 70 percent of the total exports.

"Railway transport makes it possible to ensure a very high level of safety during the transportation of goods, this is actually the safest mode of ground transportation," the message says.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan ranks second in terms of coal reserves in Central Asia and has a large export potential, the share of coal in the fuel and energy balance of the country is about 50 percent.