Abstract
This paper presents the characteristics of coal quality in Poland as well in Ukraine and Russia – the two largest import sources. The analysis was carried out on the energy coal market for domestic use in all three countries from the perspective of the supply, demand and current prices. Thereupon was the analysis of the potential dust emission during combustion that results from the natural ash content in the coal, and with consideration to the efficiency of the furnace and the combustion method. The results of the analysis and the computation show that there are no significant differences in the quality of the coal from Poland, Ukraine or Russia. However, the important factor is the calorific value and, closely related to it, the content of non-combustible solids and dust emission. The analysis of dust emission proves that the impact on the environment can be significantly reduced by burning coals with a minimum calorific value of 27,000 kJ/kg.