Coal mining in Nepal
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Deposits of coal are found in Tosh, Siuja, Azimara and Abidhara in Dang, and a few other places in Sallyan, Rolpa, Pyuthan and Palpa districts of Nepal.[1] The total estimated deposits are about 5 million tons. Due to the low volume of deposits, mining is done by traditional methods. The mines have been exploited since the early 1960s; however due to lack of proper markets,[clarification needed] they are not exploited to their full capacity.
Geologically, the main coal deposits can be categorized into:[2]
- Quaternary Lignite deposits of Kathmandu Valley
- Siwalik coal found in the Sub-Himalayas
- Cretaceous-Eocene coal and Gondwana coal found in the Lesser Himalayas[3]
The coal in the Sub-Himalaya (Siwalik/Churia) has some radioactive minerals mixed in the coal.[4]
Production
There are 11 small scale coal mines that are in operation scattered throughout Nepal.[5] Some additional licenses are issued by the government for exploration.[6] The annual production is shown in table below.[3]
| Year | Production (metric tons) |
|---|---|
| 2009/10 | 7,867 |
| 2010/11 | 9,935 |
| 2011/12 | 10,499 |
| 2012/13 | 13,838 |
| 2013/14 | 8,151 |
| 2014/15 | 6,754 |
| 2015/16 | 2,900 |
| 2016/17 | 7,025 |
| 2018 | 11,522 |