ENERGO: Poland strikes preliminary deal with Czechia over Turow open-cast lignite mine

Poland will pay the Czech Republic €40mn-€45mn to cover the cost of mitigating the adverse environmental impact of the open-cast lignite mine in Turow, government spokesman Piotr Muller said.

Turow is the subject of an ongoing spat between Warsaw and Prague, as the latter claims that the Polish authorities had breached EU law by granting the mine’s operator, the state-controlled power company PGE, an extension of the operational licence until 2026.

The Czechs brought the case before the European Court of Justice (CJEU), which, in an interim measure issued last week, told Poland to stop mining at Turow immediately.

Lignite from the mine feeds the adjacent power plant, meaning that the mine’s ceasing of operations would lead to the plant’s shutdown. The Turow power plant supplies up to 8% of electricity in Poland.