Czech miner OKD mined 1.161 million tonnes of hard coal in its last full year of mining

Mining company OKD mined 1.161 million tonnes of hard coal last year, its final year of mining. A year earlier, it mined 1.202 million tonnes. During January this year, the company will extract around another 45,000 tonnes. OKD spokeswoman Barbora Černá Dvořáková told ČTK today.

"On the night shift on Sunday, 31 January 2026, the machines in the final longwall, 463 204/1, will stop. The symbolic final wagon of coal will emerge from a depth of 1,300 metres on 4 February, bringing hard coal mining in the Czech Republic to an end after almost 250 years," Černá said.

In total, almost 124.3 million tonnes of coal had been mined from the ČSM Mine, OKD's last operating mine, by the end of 2025.

"The Czech Republic is no longer dependent on hard coal in the energy sector, while customers for coking coal can be counted on the fingers of one hand, with a very short supply outlook. The reserves remaining underground are no longer economically or technically recoverable," said OKD CEO Roman Sikora.

Given the long-term absence of mining apprenticeships, the company is also no longer able to replenish qualified staff, he said. "Let us therefore accept the fact that the era of hard coal in Czechia is over and use this historic moment to show respect for miners. There have been ten generations of them over those almost 250 years," Sikora said.

The ČSM Mine was OKD's youngest mine. Its first coal wagon emerged on 19 December 1968 from a depth of 570 metres in longwall 230 311, where the crew led by chief foreman Antonín Niedoba began mining.

"At that time, there were no administrative buildings, washrooms, changing rooms or staff canteen. All facilities were housed in single-storey wooden buildings, where the attendant would light the tin stove for us before we came up from underground. We dried our mining overalls on poles beneath the ceiling. There were no paved areas outside, only muddy ground, so we did not even take off our rubber boots after coming up," said former chief engineer of the ČSM Mine Vladimír Špok, who was the mine's 53rd.

employee.

In 1969, 444,610 tonnes of coal were mined from the ČSM Mine. "As more crews were added, output gradually increased. In 1971 it exceeded one million tonnes for the first time, and in 1975 it surpassed two million tonnes. Until 2017, output was always above two million tonnes, and from 2018 it began to decline gradually," said production and technical deputy director Petr Škorpík.

Over its 57-year existence, the ČSM Mine produced an average of 2.18 million tonnes of coal a year. The mine produced the most coal in 2012, at 2.87 million tonnes. "The highest monthly output was recorded in May 2012 and December 2013, when 310,000 tonnes were mined in each case. The highest daily output was achieved on 12 April 2001, when 17,040 tonnes were mined," Černá said.

Among the interesting facts about the ČSM Mine is that then Czechoslovak president Václav Havel went underground there in 1991, and that it also hosted a wedding. In 1992, mine electrical fitter Jaroslav Matúš married shop assistant Dana Daňová at a depth of 903 metres.

"The groom wore black and the bride white mining overalls, which mine representatives had made for them for the occasion. In the presence of a notary, applications were submitted for two entries in the Guinness Book of Records: a wedding and violin playing at the deepest place in the world," Černá said.

OKD is the only producer of hard coal in Czechia. The state owns the company through Prisko. OKD currently employs 2,300 people, including more than 1,700 permanent employees. As of 31 January 2026, 750 employees will leave, followed by another 150 when the coal preparation plant ceases operations on 28 February.