Poland’s most important natural resources are hardcoal and lignite, copper, zinc and lead ores, silver, sulphur, salt, rock salt, building stone, natural gas and oil.

Coal is the most abundant of natural resources. The annual production of hardcoal in Poland amounts to 100 million tons. As of the end of 2003, 4.8 billion tonnes of hardcoal deposits were identified (including 3.9 billion tonnes in easily accessible deposits).

Poland's output in hardcoal and lignite mining constitutes respectively 2.2% and 7% of the global production of these resources*. The natural gas deposits are smaller (in 2005 the national production of natural gas satisfied about 30% of Poland's demand for this resource), and oil is a rare resource - identified deposits would not cover the annual output of Polish refineries.

Power production is coal-based. This is illustrated on Graph 1.1.

The main advantage of such structure of energy balance is the fact that power production is based on the cheapest, local fuel. Nevertheless, this structure has been changing in recent years (the share of oil and natural gas has been increasing), but these changes are slow, and, according to the forecasts of International Energy Agency, the share of coal in country's energy generation will be stable (around 96%) even until 2020.

Among other resources, copper ore is important. Poland holds a 3.3% share in the global production of refined copper.

Graph 1.1

Sources: Statistical Yearbook of Central Statistical Office (GUS), Ministry of Economy and Labour, report on strategy of management of coal supplies in Poland; available at: http://www.mgip.gov.pl/NR/rdonlyres/
86C39812-200B-459F-87D7-EB49C75FA5BD/0/
6587_plan_dostepu_zamkniecia.pdf

*2004, based on the data of Polish Geological Institute http://www.pgi.gov.pl/
surowce_mineralne/weg_brunatny.htm, the Ministry of Economy and Labour and the dataof World Coal Institute “Coal Facts 2005 edition”