Poland’s thermal-coal imports rise 168% as domestic mines increase output
Poland imported 3.06 million tonnes of thermal coal in the first half of 2026, up 168% from a year earlier. The inflow, led by Kazakhstan and Colombia, is rising alongside domestic mine production and could add pressure to inventories and Polish producers.
Imports reach 3.06 million tonnes
Poland’s thermal-coal imports increased by 168% in the first half of 2026, even as domestic mines raised production. Importers brought 3.06 million tonnes into the country during the six-month period, compared with the first half of 2025, according to Industrial Development Agency data reported by Gazeta Wyborcza and cited by WNP.
By July 2026, Poland had imported almost as much coal as during the whole of 2024. Gazeta Wyborcza said that, if the current pace continues — a scenario the newspaper considers highly probable — annual imports will reach their highest level in several years. The previous record was registered in 2022, when energy-market disruption intensified demand for alternative coal supplies.
Kazakhstan and Colombia lead supply
Kazakhstan accounted for more than half of Poland’s thermal-coal imports in 2026. Poland also received 1 million tonnes from Colombia. Volumes from other supplying countries were described as marginal, although individual flows generally amounted to several hundred thousand tonnes. The figures show that the increase is concentrated among a small group of overseas suppliers rather than spread evenly across multiple origins.
The imported fuel is mainly handled by independent importers and intermediaries, which subsequently resell it on the Polish market. According to the Industrial Development Agency statistics cited in the report, energy companies operating their own coal-fired power plants remain the country’s largest coal consumers. Those companies say they use coal purchased from Polish mines. Independent district-heating plants, most of which are owned by local governments, also generally rely on domestic coal.
More supply enters a divided market
This means the additional imported volumes do not necessarily compete for exactly the same contracts as coal supplied directly to large power generators. They do, however, increase the amount of fuel available to smaller industrial users, heating customers and other buyers served by traders. With domestic mines simultaneously increasing production, sustained imports could lift inventories and strengthen buyers’ negotiating position, particularly in market segments where imported and Polish coal are interchangeable.
The demand backdrop remains uncertain. Poland experienced a shortage of heating pellets during the winter of 2025/2026, while concerns about gas supplies and rising energy prices prompted coal-fired power plants to increase generation. These conditions supported demand for solid fuels, but the rapid increase in imports raises questions about how much of the additional coal can be absorbed if energy demand or coal-fired generation weakens.
Domestic mining costs remain central
Former economy minister Janusz Steinhoff told Gazeta Wyborcza that Poland spends 10 billion zlotys a year subsidising its mines. He said he did not support financing domestic coal production at any cost and argued that, under current mining conditions, Polish coal is unprofitable. Imported coal does not carry the same domestic extraction costs.
The combination of higher mine output and a 168% increase in imports sharpens the commercial challenge for Polish producers. Large power companies and municipal heating plants continue to provide a core market for domestic supply, but intermediaries can offer foreign coal to other buyers. If imports maintain their current pace, competition over storage capacity, customers and working capital is likely to intensify across the Polish thermal-coal market.