DUSHANBE, December 22, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Over the first eleven months of this year, Tajikistan has produced 397,100 tons of coal, which is 174,700 tons more than in the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI).

An official source at a MoEI says coal production has increased as a result of a shift from more expensive natural gas and electricity to more economical coal as fuel.  “Only 10 percent of the country’s population now use natural gas,” he noted.  

Currently there are some 2,000 coal-selling outlets in Tajikistan.  In Tajikistan, coal comes mainly from the following coalfields: Fon-Yaghnob; Vuromun; Shurob; Ziddi, Sayod, and Shouroobod.

Meanwhile, the monthly report for November, Monitoring &r Early Warning in Tajikistan , notes that more than 371,480 tons of coal have been produced in Tajikistan in January-October this year, 157,352 tons more than in the same period of 2011 (214,28 tons).  57,265 tons of coal were reportedly produced in October 2012, 42,278 tons less than in September 2012.