Hard coal production from Polish mines in the first quarter increased 4.3% year on year to 17.7 million mt, and sales rose 4.1% to 17.3 million mt, the Industrial Development Agency (ARP) said Thursday.
The amount of hard coal stockpiled increased to 6 million mt at the end of March from 5.8 million mt at the beginning of the year but sales kept pace with production in March, according to ARP figures.
Thermal coal production was up 3.5% year on year to 14.4 million mt while coking coal output rose 8.2% to 3.3 million mt.
Sales volumes increased 4.1% to 17.3 million mt. Sales of larger lumped, higher priced coal to individual and communal customers increased by 100,000 mt to 1.1 million mt, while sales of higher quality coking coal rose by 130,000 mt to 950,000 mt, ARP said. Coal exports increased 4.6% to 2 million mt.
At the end of March the Polish hard coal mining industry employed 90,400 people, down from 92,100 at the start of the year.
The number of walls in production fell to 91 at the end of March from 106 a year earlier, suggesting that excavation was concentrated on more profitable areas, ARP said.
The average price of Polish hard coal at the end of March was Zloty 231.65/mt ($59.66/mt), down 16% year on year. The average thermal coal price fell 12% to Zloty 215.43/mt and the average price of coking coal dropped 25% to Zloty 303.57/mt.
In Q1, Polish mines made an average loss of Zloty 30/mt of coal produced due to falling coal prices and high production costs.
The Polish hard coal mining sector recorded a net loss of Zloty 1.9 billion in 2015, about Zloty 150 million less than in 2014, according to ARP.
