The Taliban-led Ministry of Energy and Water reported that the Chinese company Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) has identified a lack of reliable electricity as a primary obstacle to the development of Afghanistan’s Aynak copper mine, one of the world’s largest untapped copper reserves.
According to a statement from the ministry, MCC officials raised the issue during a recent meeting in China with Abdul Latif Mansour, the Taliban’s minister of energy and water. MCC officials underscored that without sufficient power, moving forward with the project would be challenging.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum under the Taliban government had previously signed an agreement with MCC for the extraction of copper at the Aynak site, with the company initially pledging an investment of at least $2.5 billion. However, the project has faced repeated delays, including during previous administrations, largely due to security concerns amid ongoing conflict, particularly with Taliban forces at the time.
Despite the initial agreement and potential for economic growth, practical work on the Aynak copper mine has yet to commence.
