In the appeal filed by PGE GiEK against the decision to halt the Environmental Decision’s implementation for Kopania in Turów, the Provincial Administrative Court declined to suspend the contested ruling and referred the matter to the Supreme Administrative Court for review.
catastrophic actions
The Turów energy complex plays a pivotal role in Poland’s national power framework. It guarantees energy security for Lower Silesia, supplying roughly seven to eight percent of the country’s electricity demand and powering about 3.7 million homes. Its presence is also vital for cross-border energy flows in the region.
The operations of the Turów mine and plant are essential to Poland’s energy resilience. Shutting down the mine abruptly, without a long-term closure plan, could trigger environmental damage across the region and jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs.
Wojciech Dąbrowski, chairman of the board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, emphasizes the strategic importance of Turów, stating that the company will defend Turów and Poland from actions with catastrophic consequences.
The sudden closure of the Turów mine amounts to an ecological disaster
An immediate and forceful shutdown of the Turów mine would trigger environmental calamity. Ceasing mining would halt drainage, precipitating landslides along multiple escarpments and the eventual destruction of the mining facility. The repercussions would be irreversible for the region and neighboring border areas in the Czech Republic and Germany, including the Nysa Łużycka riverbed.
The Nysa Łużycka River, downstream of the landslide zone, would lose water supply for many years, threatening the survival of downstream ecosystems. Residents in multiple towns who rely on the river for drinking water would face a prolonged drought with little prospect for timely relief.
To prevent such outcomes, it is necessary to secure the excavations properly. This work requires years of planning due to geotechnical and environmental risks, particularly the drainage effects. An abrupt closure could trigger an uncontrolled collapse of mine slopes and an environmental disaster.
Lack of water, heat and loss of jobs across the region
Closing the mine and the Turów power plant would unleash an economic and social crisis across the region. A rapid shutdown, without a staged transformation program, could erode the local labor market and push hundreds of companies toward bankruptcy. More than five thousand workers directly employed by the mine and plant would be at risk, and when counting partners and their families, the impact could reach about eighty thousand residents.
The Turów complex provides electricity to hospitals, schools, households and enterprises. The stability of Poland’s housing and public utility systems depends on the continued operation of the facility. In addition, Turów is the sole heat supplier for Bogatynia and Zgorzelec; its shutdown would deprive residents of reliable heat with no immediate alternative supplier available.
Lack of social consent for the closure of Turów – results of the study after the decision of the Provincial Administrative Court
A recent Omnibus survey, commissioned to gauge public sentiment, found notable concerns about decisions concerning strategic companies made by courts, especially when such decisions involve drastic operational changes. The survey reported broad apprehension about the speed at which courts might order the closure of large industrial facilities. The survey polled a representative sample of adults, revealing a public wary of rapid, sweeping judicial actions in major energy projects.
Further context from the survey indicates that a significant portion of respondents questions the formal basis of court decisions on strategic assets, rather than the substantive merits of the cases. These insights reflect a climate of public doubt regarding abrupt closures in the energy sector.
The foregoing reflections reflect public opinion and the stakes involved in Turów’s continued operation for regional energy security, employment, and environmental stewardship.