Mes Aynak Copper Contract Extended with China for Another 15 Years

DID Press: Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines of the caretaker government announced that the Mes Aynak copper mining contract with a Chinese company has been extended for an additional 15 years.

“The exploration and extraction contract for the Mes Aynak copper mine in Logar province has been renewed for 15 more years with the Chinese company,” said caretaker government.

Originally signed in 2008, the contract had made little significant progress over the past 17 years due to insecurity, lack of infrastructure, and archaeological concerns.

According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines, the main terms of the contract remain in place, including the construction of a smelting plant, a railway line, power facilities, and the employment of Afghanistani labor. Mes Aynak project is located on a 2,000-year-old Buddhist archaeological site, raising serious concerns about the preservation of cultural heritage.

With the new extension, the total duration of the contract now reaches 45 years, and the caretaker government has announced that operational activities at the mine will begin this year.

Some economic observers view this extension as an opportunity to begin exploiting the estimated 12 million tons of copper reserves, which, if successfully extracted, could position Afghanistan as a significant player in the global copper market.