Hard Coal a Fuel of the Future and a Chance for Kompania Węglowa S.A.

The paper discusses the role of hard coal as one of the basic fuels for power generation, especially electricity. The energy is seen as a factor of economic and socia1 development. Coal is a most abundant fossil fuel in the World and its share in electric power generation is almost 40%. Improvement of coal combustion technologies is underway in order to minimise emissions of pollutants into the air. The future position of coal in power generation in European Union will be decided by security of energy sources supply, economic effectiveness of coal and the impact of cola utilisation upon the environment. The European Union should protect its strategic coal reserves to utilise them in case of political disturbances endangering the imports.