In April 2026, India produced 74.31 million tonnes of coal — a 9% drop from the same month last year, but still more than Poland managed to extract in the entire 2025, when Polish coal mines yielded just 42.8 million tonnes.
The data from India’s Ministry of Coal shows that the country’s coal output for the first month of fiscal year 2026-27 fell to 74.31 million tonnes from 81.66 million tonnes in April 2025. Despite the decline, the scale remains staggering compared to Poland, whose annual coal production has been shrinking due to mine closures and the energy transition.
The largest Indian producer, Coal India Ltd., extracted 56.06 million tonnes in April 2026 — a 9.67% year-on-year drop. Even with this reduction, the company’s monthly output alone exceeds Poland’s entire yearly figure by a wide margin.
Indian coal imports fall alongside domestic production
India’s thermal coal imports in the first four months of 2026 totalled 51.34 million tonnes, down 7.4% compared to the same period in 2025. The decline accelerated in April, with imports falling 11% year-on-year to 14.2 million tonnes — the lowest monthly level in recent months.
The biggest suppliers to India remain Indonesia (29.88 million tonnes in January–April) and South Africa (12.37 million tonnes). The drop in imports mirrors weaker demand from power plants and higher domestic stockpiles, but also reflects India’s push to boost local production even as output dipped in April.
Poland’s coal sector faces structural decline
For Poland, the comparison highlights the massive gap in scale and resources. Poland’s hard coal output of 42.8 million tonnes in 2025 is a fraction of India’s monthly average. Polish mines are grappling with depleted deposits, rising costs and EU climate policies that accelerate the phase-out of coal.
While India continues to rely on coal for over 70% of its electricity generation, Poland is also moving away from the fuel, but at a slower pace and from a much smaller production base. The data from April 2026 underscores how dominant India remains in global coal markets, even during a month of reduced output.
Źródło: wnp.pl, Fot. ANGHI / Shutterstock
