A China-backed copper mine in Afghanistan is poised to start construction after nearly two decades of delay, but political instability and security issues remain a major concern, an Afghan studies expert has cautioned.
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State-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) recently announced that it was making significant progress toward starting copper extraction this year in the Mes Aynak Mine in central Afghanistan’s Logar province, home to one of the world’s largest untouched copper deposits.
According to Afghan media outlet Tolo News, MCC representative Deng Guoping said the company was ready to start production this year “if the follow-up procedures with the government go smoothly”.
This comes as a road leading to the mine nears completion, 17 years after the project contract was signed.
The Mes Aynak project was awarded to MCC under a 30-year contract in 2008 but was delayed due to security challenges, the presence of archaeological remains dating back to the Bronze Age and landmines from decades of war, and the lack of infrastructure, according to the company.
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Last year, the Taliban announced a switch from open-pit mining at Mes Aynak to underground mining, a costlier process that is seen as more protective of archaeological sites. Officials further emphasised that the mine would work to avoid damage to relics, according to The Art Newspaper.