Polish coking coal producer JSW Group (Jastrzebska Spolka Weglowa) has declared force majeure for the third time this year due to an increased risk of a fire at the W-3 longwall face of the Pniowek coal mine.

Media reports indicate that the company plans to blockade the area, which holds about 100,000 tons of coking coal reserves.

As a result, JSW Group has lowered its coal production target for 2024 to 12.35 million tons from 12.45 million tons previously.

Following accidents at the Pniowek and Budryk coal mines in December 2023 and April 2024, this is the third force majeure declaration issued by JSW Group in the last 12 months.

The increased frequency of methane accidents, fires and cave-ins has made longwall mining at the company's coal mines more difficult. These events have resulted in reduced productivity and increased costs, which have severely impacted JSW Group's financial performance.

In the first half of 2024, the company recorded a large loss, with asset impairments exceeding PLN 5 billion (approximately $1.24 billion) in the second quarter.

JSW Group is known to be the largest producer of high-quality hard coking coal in the EU and one of the leading producers of metallurgical coke.

Article Source：sxcoal.com