Official says Poland’s state firms not to buy coal from Russia

WARSAW, Feb 6 (PRIME) -- Poland’s state companies will no longer buy coal in Russia, State Asset Minister Jacek Sasin told RMF FM in an interview broadcast on Thursday.

“I can say that I have completed negotiations with the executives of state companies on the issue and they will no longer import coal …I can say that this is not only about Russian coal. It was imported from South America, Columbia, Mozambique, the U.S,” he said.

Poland imported 18–19 million tonnes of coal in 2019, and Russia accounted for more than 70%. Weglokoks and PGE Capital Group were the largest importers.

A miners’ trade union has recently blocked a railway line in protest against Russian coal imports. Other miners’ trade unions plan a warning strike for February 17 and a street protest campaign in Warsaw demanding higher wages and an end to declining local coal output.

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