What happened
Levent Yağcıoğlu, president of the Zonguldak branch of Türkiye’s Chamber of Mining Engineers, said the Zonguldak hard-coal basin holds an estimated 1.5 billion tonnes of reserves while producing about 1 million tonnes in 2025. That production figure includes Türkiye Taşkömürü Kurumu (TTK) and private-sector operations.
Speaking at the 24th International Coal Congress and Exhibition of Türkiye in Zonguldak, Yağcıoğlu called for a basin strategy covering 20 to 30 years. He said the central issue was not simply low output, but the absence of a scientific, measurable and sustained plan for a reserve base of that scale.
The intervention places the basin’s future within a broader debate on Türkiye’s reliance on external energy supplies, domestic resource development and the preservation of mining expertise.
Why it matters
The large difference between the stated reserve estimate and current annual production focuses attention on the future role of Zonguldak in national coal and energy policy. Yağcıoğlu argued that production capacity, technical know-how and institutional memory can be difficult to restore once lost.
For sustainability and energy professionals, the remarks also show how domestic coal policy is being framed alongside climate action rather than separately from it. Yağcıoğlu said mining policy should weigh climate goals, security of energy supply and local resources together.
He did not present higher output as a case for accepting greater operational risk. Instead, he said mining should be pursued through stronger use of science, technology and engineering, with worker health and safety given priority.
What to watch
Yağcıoğlu’s proposed planning horizon is 20 to 30 years, but the remarks reported by Enerji Günlüğü did not include a formal programme, implementation date or production target. Stakeholders can therefore watch for whether a defined basin plan is developed and how it addresses safety, technical capability, climate objectives and energy security.
Context
Yağcıoğlu described Zonguldak and TTK as significant to Türkiye’s mining policy and industrial history. He also acknowledged the wider international movement towards net-zero emissions and referred to climate-change action and the Paris Agreement when setting out the case for long-term policy.
