Łukasz Czopik, chairman of the supervisory board of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa (JSW), has resigned from his position effective June 30, 2026, citing new professional responsibilities. He will become vice president for compliance and operational continuity at energy group Tauron PE.
The resignation comes at a time of severe financial distress for Poland’s largest coking coal producer. In 2025, JSW recorded a consolidated net loss of 6.25 billion złoty and an EBITDA loss of 4.99 billion złoty. Coal output reached just over 13 million tonnes, while coke production stood at 3.2 million tonnes. In the first quarter of 2026, the group reported a net loss of approximately 615.9 million złoty.
To shore up liquidity, JSW’s general meeting in early June approved a 850 million złoty loan from the state-owned Industrial Development Agency (ARP). The company’s worsening finances have already triggered alarm among trade unions representing miners.
Unions warn of bankruptcy risk
In mid-June, three representative union organisations at JSW – Solidarność, the Federation of Trade Unions of JSW Miners, and Kadra – sent an urgent letter to the Speaker of the Sejm, the finance minister, and the interior minister. They described the company’s situation as “dramatic” and pointed to growing threats to the supply of critical raw materials to the European Union market.
– We are turning to you in connection with the dramatic financial situation of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa and the increasing risks to the security of supplies of critical raw materials provided by JSW to the EU market, as well as the growing risk of a threat to state security in the face of the inexorably approaching bankruptcy process of JSW – the unions wrote.
Previous chairman also stepped down
The latest departure follows that of Prof. Andrzej Karbownik, who resigned as head of the supervisory board on May 13. He was blunt about the reasons for his decision.
– It is the politicians who decide how the restructuring of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowej is proceeding, or rather how it is not proceeding. After I familiarised myself with all this, I told myself that I would no longer take part in it – stressed Prof. Karbownik in an interview with WNP.PL.
Czopik’s move to Tauron, a key player in Poland’s power sector, adds another twist to the ongoing reshuffle in state-controlled energy companies. The financial condition of JSW remains a major challenge for the government, with union pressure intensifying and no clear restructuring plan in sight.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Kamil Zajaczkowski / Shutterstock
