Poland's thermal coal imports jumped 168% in the first half of 2026, even as the government continues to channel billions of zloty into supporting its domestic mining sector.

The country imported 3.06 million tonnes of thermal coal in January-June, according to data from Poland's Industrial Development Agency (ARP).

By the end of July, cumulative imports had already nearly matched the full-year volume recorded in 2024, and if the current import pace persists, annual arrivals are on track to hit a multi-year high.

More than half of this year's imported coal originated from Kazakhstan, with Colombia supplying roughly one million tonnes.

Poland's major energy firms remain heavily reliant on domestically produced hard coal, while the bulk of imported volumes are brought in by independent importers and traders.

Former Economy Minister Janusz Steinhoff attributed the rising overseas purchases to the steep extraction costs from Poland's increasingly complex geological deposits.

He said that Poland spends 10 billion zloty ($2.66 billion) each year on mine subsidies, stressing that domestic coal is simply unprofitable under current operating conditions, unlike imported coal, which avoids those high local extraction costs.

Even so, Poland remains one of Europe's largest coal producers. ARP figures showed domestic mines produced 3.43 million tonnes of hard coal in June alone.