Editing Economy of Kyrgyzstan (section)

===Mining and minerals===
In the post-Soviet era, mining has been an increasingly important economic activity. The [[Kumtor Gold Mine]], which opened in 1997, is one of the largest [[gold]] deposits in the world. New gold mines are planned at [[Jerooy]] and [[Taldy–Bulak]], and a major gold discovery was announced in late 2006 at [[Tokhtonysay]]. The state agency [[Kyrgyzaltyn]] owns all mines, many of which are operated as [[joint ventures]] with foreign companies. [[Uranium]] and [[antimony]], important mineral outputs of the [[Soviet era]], no longer are produced in significant amounts. Although between 1992 and 2003 [[coal]] output dropped from about 2.4 million tons to 411,000 tons, the government plans to increase exploitation of Kyrgyzstan's considerable remaining deposits (estimated at 2.5 billion tons) in order to reduce dependency on foreign energy sources. A particular target of this policy is the [[Karakeche|Kara–Keche]] deposit in northern Kyrgyzstan, whose annual output capability is estimated at between 500,000 and 1 million tons. The small domestic output of oil and natural gas does not meet national needs.<ref name=cp/>