Czech Republic shuts down the country's last hard coal mine.

On January 31st local time, the Czech Republic closed its last hard coal mine, thus ending the country's over 250-year history of hard coal mining. This move will result in approximately 900 miners gradually losing their jobs. The last hard coal power plant in the Czech Republic was closed in 2025, and the current coal prices are unable to cover the high mining costs. The disappearance of market demand and low economic efficiency are the direct reasons for the closure of hard coal mines. Although the Russia-Ukraine conflict briefly led to a surge in coal prices and delayed the closure plans, the Czech Republic ultimately decided to completely terminate mining operations.