Nuurst Khotgor Coal Mine
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Nuurst Khotgor Coal Mine (Хотгор шанага) is an operating coal mine in Bökhmörön, Uvs, Mongolia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Nuurst Khotgor Coal Mine | Bökhmörön, Uvs, Mongolia | 49.8497362, 90.8978878 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating | – | 1963[1] | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1[1] | 0.09[2] | 2022[2] | Surface | Open Pit | 16.1 | 60* | 194.2465011* |
Table 4: Coal resources and destination
| Total Reserves (Mt) | Year of Total Reserves Recorded | Total Resources (Mt) | Coalfield | Coal Type | Coal Grade | Primary Consumer/ Destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22[1] | 2024[1] | 143.3[3] | – | Bituminous | Thermal | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Korea Coal Corp [51%]; Khotgor Shanaga [49%] | Korea Coal Corporation [KOCOAL] [51%]; Khotgor Shanaga [49%] | South Korea, Mongolia |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The Nuurst Khotgor or Khotgor Shanaga Coal Mine is an operating surface coal mine in Bökhmörön Sum (district), Uvs Province, Mongolia, approximately 120 km west of Ulaangom.
The mine began extraction activities in 1963, initially with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes per year. [4]
The mine's industrial reserves within its three licence areas were estimated at 22 million tonnes. As of 2024, the mine's planned annual production capacity was 100,000 tonnes of coal, with a planned mine life of 13 years under the current feasibility study.[5]
The mine was originally state property and was privatized in 2001.[6] Currently, it is owned by Korea Coal Corporation (51%), which bought its share in 2010, and Khotgor Shanaga LLC (49%). It produces 1 million tons per year.[7][8]
The mine halted production in 2016 due to the lack of road and railway infrastructure in northwest Mongolia, making commercial operations unviable. Korea Coal Corporation had invested a total of approximately 28.5 billion South Korean won in the project without recovering any returns.[9]
In 2017–18, the mine was at the center of a corruption scandal involving Finance Minister Chimed Khurelbaatar.[10]
In April 2023, Korea Coal Corporation announced it was preparing to sell its 51% stake in the Khotgor Shanaga mine, describing it as an opportune moment given rising international coal prices. The total estimated sale value, including a management premium, was approximately 40 billion South Korean won (around US$30 million). The corporation noted that the opening of the Asian Highway in Mongolia and improved road infrastructure had attracted foreign buyer interest.[11] In the first half of 2024, the corporation received at least four separate purchase offers — including one from Chinese-backed capital proposing approximately 25.5 billion won (2.34 times the original acquisition price of 10.9 billion won) — but management declined to engage, citing procedural concerns. Two separate attempts to select a sale underwriter (in October 2023 and January 2024) both failed when no financial firms submitted bids, reportedly because the coal mining sector was viewed as unattractive.
[12]
As of early 2026, the sale had not been completed.
Details
- Operator: Korea Coal Corporation, Khotgor Shanaga LLC
- Owners: Korea Coal Corporation (51%), Khotgor Shanaga LLC (49%)
- Location: Bökhmörön District, Uvs Province, Mongolia
- GPS Coordinates: 49.8497362, 90.8978878 (exact)
- Status: Operating
- Production Capacity: 1 million tonnes per year
- Total Resource: 143.3 million tonnes[13]
- Total Reserves: 76 million tonnes[14]
- Coal Type: Bituminous
- Mine Type: Surface
- Mine Size: 16.1 km2[14]
- Start Year:
- Source of Financing:
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 (PDF) https://eic.mn/envmng/upload/2024/tamngdocument/17/20240220_1822.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://eiti.org/document/23354.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.globalmethane.org/documents/toolsres_coal_overview_ch22.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Nuurst Khotgor Coal Mine Environmental Management Plan 2024" (PDF). eic.mn. February 20, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Nuurst Khotgor Coal Mine Environmental Management Plan 2024" (PDF). eic.mn. February 20, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Mongolia: Summary of Coal Industry" (PDF). Global Methane Initiative. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Nuurst Khotgor coal mine, Wikipedia, accessed Apr. 2021.
- ↑ “Хотгор шанага”-д 52 тэрбум төгрөг төлсөн солонгосчууд “амаа барьж” байна, Ord.mn, 7 Nov. 2017.
- ↑ "Korea Coal Corporation's Mongolian mine sale falls through again amid renewed push". Newsis. September 4, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ АТГ: “Хотгор шанага” уурхайтай холбоотой баримтыг цуглуулсан ч Ч.Хүрэлбаатарыг буруутгах олигтой баримт олж чадаагүй, MASS.mn, 12 June, 2018.
- ↑ "Korea Coal Corp. to sell Mongolian mine amid energy resource boom". Korea Economic Daily. April 10, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Korea Coal Corp. missed chance to sell Mongolian mine despite offer at 2.3x purchase price". Seoul Economic Daily. October 20, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Global Methane Project, [https://www.globalmethane.org/documents/toolsres_coal_overview_ch22.pdf "Mongolia", p. 192, Accessed June 2021
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Overseas, Korea Coal website, Accessed July 2022.
