Emergency measures were taken to increase the extraction of fuel, primarily coal. Assessing the role of the coal industry, V. I. Lenin said: “Coal is the true bread of industry; without this bread, industry is inactive, and without this bread, railway transport is condemned to the most miserable condition...”.
While the Kyrgyz SSR relied mainly on its internal resources for electricity production, the problem of supplying industry and transport with fuel, primarily coal, was solved through close economic interconnections and mutual assistance with other Soviet republics. It received high-quality coking coal from Donbass, Kuzbass, and Karaganda. In turn, the coal mines of Kyrgyzstan significantly supplied fuel to the industry, railway transport, and municipal services of the Central Asian republics and Southern Kazakhstan.
Already in the first days of the war, miners in Kyrgyzstan worked hard and diligently. Not only individual workers but entire teams significantly exceeded the production program. Coal extraction at mine No. 3 (Sulyukta) at the end of 1941 exceeded the plan by 79.8%, at the "Djal" mine (Kyzyl-Kiya) by 51.3%, and at the "Kapital'naya" tunnel (Kok-Yangak) by 26.8%. Overall, in 1941, four major coal mines in Kyrgyzstan produced 1,717.2 thousand tons of fuel—the highest level compared to all pre-war years.
However, from the end of 1941, due to the occupation of Donbass by the Nazis, which accounted for 56.8% of all coal production in the Soviet Union, the supply of fuel to the country's industry deteriorated. The party and government directed the Soviet people to boost coal production in the East. By the decree of the USSR Council of People's Commissars on December 8, 1941, "On the development of coal mining in the eastern regions of the USSR," and the decision of the party and government of Kyrgyzstan in 1942 to increase fuel production at the republic's coal mines, a higher production target was set compared to 1941.
To implement this crucial military-economic task, urgent measures were taken. To enhance operational management, the coal mines of Kyzyl-Kiya, Sulyukta, Kok-Yangak, and Tash-Kumyr, with 13 production units, were united into the trust "Kyrgyzugol." The staffing of brigades, shifts, sections, and mines was revised, and qualified masters were assigned to the mining and loading teams. The party organization of the Kyzyl-Kiya mine sent more than 70% of its communists to underground work, while the Kok-Yangak mine sent 81.4%.
On the eve of the new year, 1942, inspired by the successful offensive of the Red Army near Moscow, the Kyzyl-Kiya miners called on the miners of Sulyukta to "give all their strength and energy to the fight for increased coal production." Each worker pledged to fulfill their production norm by at least 150%. Youth and frontline brigades were created in the key areas. Their motto became: "In work, as in battle." No one left their workplace until the brigade achieved an increase in fuel production. Among the miners of the Kyzyl-Kiya mine, the loading teams of Kostin and Khavintsev particularly distinguished themselves, significantly exceeding the annual coal production target. The miner Kurbanov (Sulyukta mine) fulfilled his shift norm at 189% for eight months in 1942, Gapsalyamov at 209%, the machine operator of the mining machines Hasanbaev at 180%, and the support worker Shamirov at 181%. Daily, the Tash-Kumyr miners Yanishev, Ibragimov, and Chashtanov produced 2-3 norms, while the youth brigade of N. M. Bukhatkin systematically fulfilled their task at 200-250%. By mid-February 1942, the miners of Tash-Kumyr had exceeded the plan by 1,500 tons of fuel, and by the end of the year, coal production amounted to 133 thousand tons compared to 110 thousand tons in 1940.
Overall, coal production in Kyrgyzstan in 1942 exceeded the pre-war level, totaling 1,455.6 thousand tons compared to 1,381.9 thousand tons in 1940. For exemplary fulfillment of tasks, 24 miners were awarded orders and medals of the Soviet Union. The highest award—the Order of Lenin—was bestowed upon the miners of tunnel No. 1 of the Tash-Kumyr mine N. M. Bukhatkin, tunnel No. 9 of the Kok-Yangak mine K. Sarykov, and the section head of mine No. 1-1 bis of the Kyzyl-Kiya mine V. M. Astafyev.
Resumption of construction of the Lebedinovskaya HPP on the Big Chui in 1942