Coal news and updates

Poland And Czech Republic Strike A Deal Over Disputed Turów Coal Mine

Warsaw and Prague signed an agreement on a controversial Polish lignite mine located near the border with Czech Republic.

As part of the deal, Poland will pay its neighbor €45 million ($51.5 million) and finance measures to prevent environmental damage to the local area. The payment will be split between the Polish government and the state-run PGE, the owner of the mine.

The deal also calls for the establishment of a Polish-Czech transition commission that will draft a plan to minimize the socioeconomic impact in the area in case the mine ceases to operate in the future.

The Czech government agreed to withdraw its complaint to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) once the payments have been made.

Poland was ordered to shut down the site in May 2021 and issued with a €500,000 ($564,350) daily fine in September after it refused to comply. Warsaw has so far failed to settle the bill and has now racked up a penalty of €68 million.