Poland accuses Germany of unlawful interference in the dispute over Turów

Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa announced the Turów mine would continue to extract lignite. “I can’t imagine Poland interfering in such a way in the security and energy mix in Germany,” she said. There is also a legal dispute over the concession.

“I am very calm about the fate of Turów, because all decisions were made with due care. This is a modern investment, we have no doubts about the issue of safety,” Moskwa argued during an interview with Polskie Radio 24.

“We will not stop extraction at Turów. This energy complex is the guarantor of the region’s security. The closure of the mine would result in heating poverty of the population and lack of hot water supplies,” the Minister explained. “One of the parties that challenged the decision of the General Directorate for Environmental Protection on Turów was the German city of Zittau. I can’t imagine Poland interfering in Germany’s security and energy mix in such a way,” she said.

A court dispute over the mining concession of the Turów mine after 2026 is ongoing. Environmental organizations from Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany won at the Provincial Administrative Court, which ruled the mining should stop after that period. Polska Grupa Energetyczna filed a complaint, which was rejected, and the case will now be dealt with by the Court of Appeal. The Turów mine is the only source of fuel (lignite) of the Turów Power Plant, which provides Poland with up to 7 percent of its energy demand.

Polish Radio 24 / Wojciech Jakóbik