AKT conducted its first feasibility study in April 2005, but no significant exploration ensued until BLEM started major development and construction at the coal-mining project in early 2008. After only ten months of mine and infrastructure development, in October 2008, AKT obtained a bulk sampling license from the Ministry of Mines and Energy to produce 100,000 tons of coal sampling. It was granted permission for commercial production in September 2009. Through the end of 2009, AKT had uncovered as much as 1.6 million tons of premium quality hard coking coal, while the first 6 months of 2010 saw production of 752,000 tons of hard coking coal. AKT has consistently achieved ramp-ups to its production capacity, which by 31 December 2009 had reached 2.4 million tons per annum (mtpa). The company is currently in the final phases of securing equipments and improving infrastructure in order to achieve a production capacity to 3.6 mtpa by end of 2010. BLEM plans to increase production capacity again to 5 mtpa by 2011.

This year, with increasing production, monthly sales have increased to a peak of 550 thousand tons and stockpiles have increased to a current peak of 1.0 million tons as of May 2013.