Kazakhstan's thermal coal production fell by 1.7pc on the year to 9.92mn t in January, in a slow start to 2026, but could receive a boost as the country plans major coal sector projects for the year.
Coal production, including coking coal, dipped by a marginal 0.7pc year on year to 10.31mn t in January, data from National Statistics of Kazakhstan show.
The decrease in coal production comes even as the country ramps up efforts to boost its coal sector including drafting up a national project for expanding coal-fired generation through to 2030, adding about 7.6GW of new and modernised capacity.
Kazakhstan's thermal coal-fired power plants averaged consumption of about 55mn t/yr in 2023-24, according to previously disclosed figures from the energy ministry, but going forward the new projects will require an additional 16mn t/yr of coal.
Bogatyr Komir, Kazakhstan's largest private-sector coal producer, plans to increase output from this year to 45.2mn t and up to 56.5mn t/yr through to 2032. The producer operates the country's largest Ekibastuz mine, which has reserves of 2.4bn t.
Kazakhstan produced 115.9mn t of thermal coal in 2025, about 6.5pc higher on the year as consumption grew steadily last year.
Kazakh coal offered at discounts in Europe
Northwestern European buyers were heard to have received Kazakh-origin coal offers at wide discounts to the buoyant benchmark European API 2 index, market sources said, while icy weather conditions disrupted some shipments to Poland recently.
Kazakh-origin NAR 5,850 kcal/kg minimum coal was heard offered at an $8-10/t discount to the API 2 to some German buyers as of last week, market participants said. A German trader was heard to have received an undisclosed volume of 0-8mm-sized coal of Kazakh origin from a Polish seller by rail, according to sources.
But icy conditions at Baltic Sea ports recently have disrupted flows of Kazakh coal into Poland. Smaller 5,000-10,000t vessels, which is usually the standard import size for Polish buyers of Kazakh coal, were not suitable for transit in the snowy conditions.
This has shifted import sizes to larger 30,000t vessels, limiting the number of Polish traders that would import Kazakh material, a supplier said. Poland's extended wintry conditions have ramped up consumption and depleted stockpiles rapidly and are likely to keep demand steady and buyers eager to replenish stocks even after the winter.
