LAS VEGAS - The Polish government is focusing its efforts on clean coal technology, with the aim to comply with reducing its carbon footprint by 20% by 2015, however, the lack of funding and investment is a challenge that is slowing down the process, says Embassy of the Republic of Poland in the US, head of trade and investment Minister Zbigniew Kubacki.

Exploitation of coal deposits is the main source of the country’s energy supply, and in Europe, excluding Russia, Poland is the leading producer and exporter of hard coal and also an important producer of lignite (brown coal).

Workable reserves equal 156 years of hard coal and 30 years of lignite output. Coal supplies cover 60% of the primary energy consumed domestically and is the source of some 95% of the total electricity production.

Kubacki says it is imperative that the country, also a member state of the European Union (EU), achieve this reduction together with a 50% reduction by 2050.

Speaking to Mining Weekly at the International Mine Expo in Las Vegas, Kubacki says that the Polish government is working closely with the EU, which provides funding and support for projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

The country aims to attract investors and capital, as well as foreign direct investment for the restructuring and modernisation of private enterprises, mainly in gas, energy and the chemical sectors.

“While we are implementing an aggressive roll out on clean coal technologies, as a coal-based country, this is a challenging task for us. Restructuring of coal mining and the need to diversify the structure of energy supply increases the significance of liquid and gaseous fuels in the country’s energy consumption,” he says.

Kubacki expects growth in the industry but says that it will not be "dramatic". Poland also belongs to the world’s top ten producers of refined copper, sulphur, hard and brown coal.

“While there is a focus on growing our mining industry, for now our focus in clean coal,” he concludes.

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