• The President of UOKiK together with the Trade Inspection monitor the quality of solid fuels, such as hard coal, briquette and pellet.
• We inspected a total of 940 businesses. We submitted 489 fuel samples for laboratory testing, of which 6.9 per cent did not meet the quality requirements.
• Solid fuel should be provided with a document confirming that it meets the quality requirements set out in the regulations, the so-called  quality certificate.

Download the inspection report.

The Trade Inspection checks the activities of entrepreneurs for compliance with obligations related to the issue of fuel quality certificates. It monitors whether solid fuels meet the quality requirements set out in the regulations and whether the values resulting from the quality certificate are factually correct. The Trade Inspection conducts its inspections on the basis of an order from the President of UOKiK and on the basis of signals regarding incorrect fuel quality. This information comes, among others, from consumers, from the Police and CBŚ, as well as from the results of previous inspections.

Solid fuels – results of inspections

In 2021, the Trade Inspection inspected a total of 940 entrepreneurs marketing solid fuels. We checked whether they issue quality certificates and give copies to consumers at the time of sale. In most cases, the inspectors found no violations. Administrative penalties were imposed on entities that did not fulfil their obligations. Moreover, inspectors of the Trade Inspection found deficiencies in the manner of issuing certificates, i.e. lack of information on the certification system, the wrong type of solid fuel, missing date and place of issue of the quality certificate and no signature. The entrepreneurs who received a warning adapted their quality certificates to comply with the legislation in force.

"An entrepreneur marketing solid fuel is required to issue a quality certificate. It is a document confirming that the product meets the quality requirements set out in the regulations. This allows the consumer to check the parameters of the fuel chosen and be aware of its impact on the environment," says Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK. 

During the inspection, we looked at the quality of solid fuels. We took 489 samples for laboratory testing, of which 34 did not meet the requirements, representing 6.9 per cent of those inspected. Most samples failed to meet one of the requirements but there were also cases where the fuel did not meet two or three parameters. The largest number of incompatible samples did not meet the requirements in terms of the size of the oversize particles (18 samples) and undersize particles (11 samples). 

"If the inspected solid fuel does not meet the quality requirements specified in the regulations, the voivodeship inspectorate of trade inspection sends a notice of suspected offence to the relevant prosecutor's office," explains Tomasz Chróstny, President of UOKiK.

We also conducted laboratory tests to check whether the fuel parameters declared by entrepreneurs were reflected in reality. Almost 14 per cent, i.e. 67 solid fuel samples, did not meet the values declared in the quality certificates.

If you have any doubts as to the quality of the hard coal, briquette or pellet you have bought, contact the Trade Inspection.

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone +48 695 902 088, +48 22 55 60 246
E-mail: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL