Poland's Aug coal production slumps 13.8% MoM

Poland extracted 5.89 million tonnes of coal in August, registering a notable decline of 13.8% from a high of 6.84 million tonnes seen in July, and it was 16% lower than the year-ago level, new data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland show.

Its hard coal output last month decreased 13.3% on month to 3.11 million tonnes, while lignite output fell by 14.3% from July to 2.79 million tonnes, the data show.

The country's coal output in the first eight months of this year totalled 52.34 million tonnes, slipping by 6% from the same period last year, according to the statistics agency.

Coal mining in Poland has been slowing since 2023, which is in line with the country's pledge in the Energy Policy of Poland until 2040 (EPP2040) to cap coal's share in national electricity generation at 56% and lift renewables to at least 32% by 2030.

The burgeoning wind and solar power generation in Poland, supported by government subsidies and policies, has gradually reduced the country's reliance on coal in recent years. Besides, a worldwide recession in demand for the fossil fuel amid economic headwinds and Europe's stepped efforts in carbon emission reduction have also prompted Poland to decelerate coal mining.

Poland remains a major coal producer and exporter in Europe, primarily producing hard coal and lignite that basically share similar slices in its output mix. The country's coal products are mostly shipped to Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and other European countries, Mysteel Global learned.

Written by Tammy Yang, yangfangb@mysteel.com

Edited by Alyssa Ren, rentingting@mysteel.com