Since the completion, in 1986, of the cooperative coal program between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Refinadora Costarricense de Petroleo (RECOPE), exploration activities have decreased because of decreases in manpower and funding along with the decision to concentrate those resources in a small part of the Corina area of the Zent coal field, in order to create the information needed for recovery and utilization planning. All stages of exploration must be conducted, even if only at a low level of activity, or tomorrow's coal reserves will not be available for utilization. Concentration of effort in the Zent coal field has resulted in the creation of the information necessary for planning recovery operations in a small part of the field. About 1 million tonnes of coal classified as minable is present in an area where the coal bed is about 2 m thick and has a maximum overburden of 50 m. Statistical appraisal of analyses of the coal bed, named El Indio, indicates an average moisture content of 41.36 percent, ash content of 12.58 percent, sulfur content of 0.98 percent, and an average heating value of 3,227 kcal/kg or 5,809 Btu/lb, all on the as-received basis. The average analysis equates to a moist, mineral matter-free Btu/lb of 6,707 which indicates that the coal has an apparent rank of lignite A and has medium ash and low sulfur contents. As such, because of the high moisture and resulting lower heat value, the coal is of lower quality than most coals in the USA but is comparable to or better than fuels used for generation of electricity or industrial process heat, or both, in some other countries of the world. Almost 1,000 coal samples have been analyzed in the coal analytical laboratory that was established at RECOPE during the USAID/RECOPE cooperative program. A definitive evaluation and statistical analysis of the physical and chemical coal quality parameters determined by the laboratory, for samples from all coal areas of the country, is needed to allow informed planning for utilization. To date, only the samples from the Zent coal field have been studied in a detailed manner. Even though much exploration remains to be done, advanced planning for initiation of utilization is urgently needed now. The options for usage of coal as an alternative to other available fuels must be investigated. Pilot utilization studies are required and demonstration projects should follow shortly. Cooperation between all concerned Costa Rican agencies, organizations, and individuals, along with the available international assistance, could speed utilization of Costa Rica's coal.