Poland’s coal mines are recording an output rebound unseen in living memory, yet the country is already bracing for shortages before winter. Bogusław Ziętek, head of the Sierpień 80 trade union, says the rebound will not protect Poles from the need to import massive volumes of fuel.
Ziętek, speaking to WNP, pointed to global trends as the main driver. Demand for coal is rising worldwide, partly because the United States is again betting on this raw material, while India and China keep expanding their coal-based capacity. Repeated energy crises and conflicts that tear up supply routes have also helped coal regain favor in Poland.
According to the union leader, Polish extraction has been growing for the first time in living memory, but the market will still feel the shortfall. The problem affects power-generation coal, household supplies, agriculture, and municipal companies.
Queues at the Polish Coal Group
At Polska Grupa Górnicza (PGG), individual customers already have to join a queue and wait to buy coal, Ziętek noted. WNP has recently reported that interest in purchasing heating fuel is already very strong.
– In the Polish Coal Group, to buy coal on the market for individual customers, you have to queue up and wait – said Bogusław Ziętek.
Average annual demand for lump coal in recent years has been around 6 million tonnes. Ziętek argues that this figure is actually understated, since some households, especially in south-eastern Poland, heat with wood. Even the official number, however, far exceeds domestic capacity.
– Polish mines are not able to produce more than 2.5-3 million tonnes of this coal per year, with the largest share belonging to PGG, because it is 2-2.2 million tonnes – explained Bogusław Ziętek.
Huge imports on the horizon
These numbers lead Ziętek to a blunt conclusion. In the upcoming heating season, Poland will have to bring in enormous quantities of heating coal from abroad, and the same applies to steam coal for the professional power sector.
– Next winter we will have to import huge amounts of heating coal. It will be similar with steam coal for the professional power sector – said Bogusław Ziętek.
– It is clearly visible that the attempt to quickly abandon conventional energy has no chance of success – added Bogusław Ziętek.
The growing demand is not translating into higher coal prices for producers. Ziętek says the government is using manual control to hold back price increases, both on the retail market and for coal delivered to professional power plants.
– Unfortunately, in relation to Polish mining, the increase in demand does not translate into an increase in coal prices, because the government, by steering prices manually, does not allow increases on the retail market or for coal delivered to the professional power sector – said Bogusław Ziętek.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. New Africa / Shutterstock
