Poland urges power industry to help coal mining sector

The Polish government has urged the country’s power firms to help the troubled coal sector and has asked companies PGE, Tauron and Enea to purchase coal mines from Kompania Weglowa (KW) as part of the repair plan for the mining company.

"We want energy firms with big share of power generation [in their business] to take over some of the mines," deputy economy minister, Tomasz Tomczykiewicz said. "We want Enea, PGE and Tauron to get involved."

Tomczykiewicz added that he expected final decisions on KW’s restructuring plan to be made by the end of 2014.

According to the Warsaw Voice, outgoing prime minister, Donald Tusk, said that Poland would consider consolidation of the troubled coal sector in order to strengthen its competitive position, and that the energy sector should forge closer ties with the mining sector.

KW’s restructuring plan envisages sale of select mines, cost cutting, remodelling of the remuneration system and adjusting production at particular mines in order to maximise efficiency, CEO Miroslaw Taras said in an interview with Polish news agency PAP. 

Edited from various sources by Sam Dodson

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