Last Czech deep coal mine closes as centuries-old industry reaches final day

The last Czech black coal shaft will shut at the end of January, closing the door on more than 250 years of deep mining and bringing to an end an industry that powered the rise of heavy industry in Central Europe, Report informs via Reuters.

The final tons are being hauled this month from kilometer‑deep shafts at the CSM mine in Stonava, near the Polish border, as low coal prices and Europe's industrial and environmental transition sap demand for what was once the region's most prized resource.

State‑owned OKD had been preparing to shut down three years ago, until Russia's full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 sent energy markets surging and bought the mine a short‑lived extension.

OKD director Roman Sikora said the mine's depth had become its weakness.

"Global coal prices are low, while our mining costs are ever greater with the ever greater depths we go to," he said.