Subsoil users may lose licenses after three years below 25% of planned output

Kyrgyzstan may terminate a subsoil use license if a company extracts less than 25% of the annual volume set in the license for three consecutive years. The norm was discussed on October 15, 2026, at a session of the Jogorku Kenesh, the parliament.

During the review of the bill, MP Ulanbek Zhaanbaev asked why this threshold was proposed. Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision Amantur Tursuniyazov said companies themselves set production volumes and work schedules during project development. If targets are missed for three years in a row, the license would be suspended, a warning issued and annulment proposed. Meeting the 25% minimum in just one of the three years keeps the license in force.

For companies unable to meet obligations due to circumstances beyond their control, such as property arrest, a deadline extension mechanism exists for force majeure, and a commission reviews the documents, Tursuniyazov said. Previously issued licenses for plots that may be deemed strategic remain valid on existing terms, with the list set by a Cabinet of Ministers resolution. He stated that no such licenses have been withdrawn.