Polish court allows Turow coal mine to stay open for now

The previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government resisted attempts led by environmental campaigners to close the mine at Turow, which supplies lignite to an adjacent power plant responsible for 8% of Poland’s energy.

On Wednesday, PAP reported a court had overturned a 2022 decision that allowed the mine to continue operations. However, it reported the court had not ruled on policy, meaning the mine can still operate.

The main Turow case is pending at a Warsaw administrative court that will rule on a government decision dating from February 2023 that would allow Turow to continue mining until 2044.

“The judgment regarding the environmental decision does not result in the suspension of the operation of the Turow mine. The state’s energy policy was not subject to the court’s assessment,” PAP cited the court as saying.

Environmental groups have long criticized the environmental impact of the open-pit mine, and filed several lawsuits aimed at halting its operations.

“PGE GiEK is waiting for written justification of the judgment and is analyzing further steps in this case,” state-controlled utility PGE unit, which owns the Turow mine and adjacent power plant, wrote in a statement.

The present government, elected last October, has said it wants to kickstart the country’s transition to lower carbon energy.