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Warsaw (dpa) - Poland has extended the duration of the lignite mine in Turow to 2044.
With the continued coal mining, it is possible to secure the operation of the nearby power plant, said the climate and environment ministry on Thursday.
Since the power plant covers several percent of the national energy demand, the extension of the concession corresponds to the “public interest”.
The decision met with criticism both in the neighboring Czech Republic and in Saxony. "The extension of the term is very bad news for climate protection," said Saxony's Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens). But he is aware of how exactly the Polish climate protection movement and the European public would look to Turow. "Civil society is also looking closely at the effects of the opencast mine on the city of Zittau and the question of whether the federal government will take legal action against Poland in the Turow case," Günther continued. Green MEP Anna Cavazzini said: "This is a slap in the face of all those who work for due process in the region." The city of Zittau also protested against the procedure.
Criticism also came from the Czech Republic.
"Coal mining endangers our citizens, our water and our nature," said a spokeswoman for the Environment Ministry in Prague.
She pointed out that the Czech Republic had taken a negative point of view when assessing the environmental impact.
The government in Prague had filed a lawsuit against the expansion of the open-cast lignite mine before the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
An interim injunction has been requested, but the ministry spokeswoman stressed that the judges in Luxembourg are still waiting for a decision.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210429-99-406936 / 2