What goes on in Poland on the 20th of February.
Bełchatów power plant has a future? „Nuclear and open pit don’t exclude one another”
There is no obstacle to the creation of both a new outcrop and a nuclear power plant in Bełchatów. Representatives of the Ministry of Energy and the Polish Energy Group argue that mining in Złoczew is not threatened.
According to Deputy Minister of Energy Grzegorz Tobiszowski present at the parliamentary Investment Team: „Złoczew – exploitation of lignite deposit as an element of energy security of the country” planned outcrop in Złoczew is an important element of the government plan for development of the brown coal mining sector adopted in June last year. – This document binds the government, the Ministry of Energy and PGE. Only you have to ask at what stage we are when it comes to this opencast – he said.
He also referred to the idea of replacing the coal-fired power plant in Bełchatów with a nuclear unit. – The project of the opencast in Złoczew and the nuclear power plant are not mutually exclusive. We can not deprive ourselves of competence in the field of skills of opencasts. This may be our product to other markets – he said.
As representatives of the ministry of the environment point out, there are currently purely formal works on obtaining by PGE a concession for mining coal from the Złoczew opencast. Clarifications of some formal deficiencies and their replenishment are underway.
According to the vice-president of PGE Ryszard Wasiłka, the Złoczew project is not at risk. – We are constantly working on obtaining a mining license. In addition, we undertake a number of other activities, eg the management of PGE GIEK has already taken some decisions related to the transport of the raw material. We hope that we will soon obtain the license – he said.
He pointed out that it will be possible to extract about 18 million tons of coal annually in Złoczew. – This is not 40 million tons that we are currently mining. If this is the case, the work of the Bełchatów Power Plant and the Złoczew mine, as well as related employment, will have to change. This is also a matter related to the local community – said the vice president of PGE.