In a significant ruling, the Warsaw Administrative Court has declared that the operation of the Turow lignite mine near the Czech Republic border poses a threat to the environment. Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Anna Zalewska shared the court’s decision on Twitter, bringing attention to the potential environmental risks associated with the mine. The court’s judgment suggests that the previous decision approving the extension of mining operations may be proven incorrect in the future.

Last year, the Polish Directorate General for Environmental Protection granted permission for the continuation of mining activities in Turow. However, the decision faced opposition from the German town of Zittau, as well as the Czech and German branches of Greenpeace, and the Frank Bold Foundation. These organizations raised concerns about the environmental impact and argued against the mine’s continuation. The Polish government has refuted these claims, asserting that they are baseless.

In February of this year, the Polish Environment Ministry authorized the extension of mining in Turow until 2044. Responding to the court’s ruling, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki affirmed that Poland would not close the mine and pledged to maintain its operations until 2044. If the Warsaw verdict takes effect, coal mining at Turow would cease after 2026.

Morawiecki, during a visit to Turow, asserted, “We will not let the mine close. No court in Brussels will tell us what energy security is.” He further accused the liberal opposition, whom he labeled as “pro-German,” of intending to close the mine based on the ruling. The Polish government argues that it is impossible to comply with a decision that prioritizes the interests of other countries over Poland.

Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE), the company that owns the mine and the adjacent power plant, has already announced its intention to appeal the court’s decision. Meanwhile, Wojciech Ilnicki, the head of the Turow Mine Solidarity trade union, criticized the court’s ruling and expressed readiness to protest if necessary, emphasizing the importance of the Turow complex for energy security and affordable energy.

The Turow mine accounts for approximately 7% of Poland’s electricity production. However, environmentalists and local residents in the region argue that the mining operations pose a significant threat to the environment, including the destruction of groundwater resources across Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany.

Greenpeace representative Anna Meres stated that Turow, like other outdated coal-fired power plants, should be closed by 2030 at the latest to address the climate crisis. These concerns led the Czech Republic to take Poland to the EU’s Court of Justice (CJEU) in 2021. The CJEU ruled in May 2021 that Poland must cease mining activities immediately, imposing a fine of half a million euros per day for non-compliance.

Negotiations between the Czech Republic and Poland eventually resulted in a compensation agreement, signed in February 2022, where Poland paid the Czech Republic 45 million euros for the damage caused by the mining. However, environmental organizations argue that the agreement fails to protect Czech citizens from water loss.

Martin Puta, the governor of the Liberec Region most affected by the Turow mine, believes that the Warsaw court’s verdict is unlikely to impact the Czech-Polish agreement significantly. However, he expressed hope that the court’s recognition of the environmental impact of coal mining would lead to further actions. The Czech side continues to implement projects aimed at mitigating the mining’s effects, such as providing drinking water to border areas through the Turow Fund.

With parliamentary elections approaching in the autumn, Poland’s conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) government will strive for a third

Article by Prague Forum