Key facts
- Kyrgyzstan has implemented a six-month ban on coal exports via road.
- The ban is effective from June 23.
- Coal classified under HS codes 2701 and 2702 is affected.
- Exports through the Irkeshtam and Torugart border crossings are exempt.
- State-owned producer Kyrgyzkomur is exempt from the ban.
Kyrgyzstan has implemented a six-month ban on coal exports by road, effective June 23. The restriction applies to coal classified under HS codes 2701 and 2702, according to an official document. However, shipments through the Irkeshtam and Torugart border crossings, which serve as Kyrgyzstan's main gateways to China, are exempt from the ban. Additionally, the state-owned producer Kyrgyzkomur, which operates the Kara-Keche coal mine, is also exempt and can continue exporting coal by road. Kyrgyzstan's energy ministry has outlined plans to produce nearly 1.62 million tonnes of thermal coal from the Kara-Keche mine this year. In the first three months of 2026, Kyrgyzstan exported approximately 294,000 tonnes of coal, a slight decrease from the previous year, with nearly 15,000 tonnes sent to China. The country also imported around 425,200 tonnes of coal from Kazakhstan during the same period, a significant drop from the prior year. Kyrgyzstan aims to increase domestic coal-fired generation to meet energy shortfalls.