POLAND
Proved amount in place (total coal, million tonnes)
64 500
Proved recoverable reserves (total coal, million tonnes)
22 160
Production (total coal, million tonnes, 1999) 171.0
Most of Poland’s substantial tonnage of coal resources
is in the form of hard coal, which comprises 79% of
the reported proved amount in place and nearly 92%
of proved recoverable reserves. The WEC Member Committee
has reported revised resource assessments by comparison
with those advised for the 1998 Survey of Energy Resources
with (in particular) a 15% reduction in the proved
amount of bituminous coal in place and a 68% increase
in the corresponding tonnage recoverable.
The latest figures show the proved amount of hard
coal in place as almost 51 billion tonnes, on the
basis of a maximum deposit depth of 1 000 metres and
a minimum seam thickness of 1 metre; the corresponding
level for lignite is 13.6 billion tonnes, at a maximum
deposit depth of 350 metres and minimum seam thickness
of 3 metres.
Poland’s hard coal resources are mainly in the Upper
Silesian Basin, which lies in the south-west of the
country, straddling the border with the Czech Republic:
about 80% of the basin is in Polish territory. Other
hard-coal fields are located in the Lower Silesia
and Lublin basins. There are a number of lignite deposits
in central and western Poland, with four of the larger
basins currently being exploited for production.
The quality of the Upper Silesian hard coals is generally
quite high, with relatively low levels of sulphur
and ash content. One-third of Poland’s proved reserves
of hard coal are regarded as of coking quality.
Although output of hard coal (and, to a lesser extent,
of lignite) has declined during the past ten years,
and especially since 1997, Poland is still among the
world’s eight largest coal producers (see Table 1.3).
Its 1999 output was 110 million tonnes of hard coal
and 61 million tonnes of lignite. Apart from Russia,
Poland is the only world-class coal exporter in Europe:
its total exports in 1999 were some 24 million tonnes,
of which steam coal accounted for 72% and coking for
28%. Germany, Denmark and the UK are currently Poland’s
largest export markets for coal.
About 57% of inland consumption of hard coal goes
to the production of electricity and bulk heat, manufacturing
industry accounts for 30% and residential/commercial/agricultural
uses 13%. Almost all lignite production is used for
base-load electricity generation.
The decline in hard coal production reflects a deep
reform of the industry, of which the key objectives
have been:
