Top EU Court Orders Poland to Cease Extraction

The European Court of Justice (ECJ), on Friday ruled that Poland must immediately cease lignite extraction activities at its Turow open-pit mine close to the German and Czech borders,

The interim measure was imposed as a result of a case brought against Poland by the Czech Republic, which protested against extending the permit for the mine without conducting necessary environmental impact assessment.

Pending the final judgment, the Czechs asked the ECJ to order a halt of lignite extraction.

Earlier in 2021, Poland extended the concession for the Turow mine until 2044.

The Czech Republic fears that Turow’s continued operations could deplete drinking water reservoirs as well as increase noise and dust concentration.

The arguments presented by the Czech side appear to be well founded, and the continuation of lignite mining activities at Turow could, with sufficient likelihood, have negative effects on the level of groundwater in the Czech Republic, ECJ Vice-President Rosario Silva de Lapuerta argued, justifying the imposition of interim measures.

Meanwhile, Poland has failed to substantiate the claim that granting the interim measures would lead to an irreversible shutdown of the adjacent Turow power plant, the ECJ official was cited as saying in a press statement.

Although the sudden unavailability of a power plant may have negative effects, the electricity network operators are able to balance the electricity network in order to compensate for such unavailability, according to Silva de Lapuerta.

The Turow power plant complex provides around 8 per cent of Poland’s electricity.

A modern 496 Megawatt lignite-fuelled power block went online at the site earlier in May.