© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The Turow coal-fired power plant is seen behind the Turow open-pit coal mine operated by the company PGE in Bogatynia, Poland, June 15, 2021. Picture taken June 15, 2021. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File Photo
WARSAW (Reuters) – A Polish coal mine near the Czech border will be able to continue operating for now, the state news agency PAP reported on Wednesday, following the latest in a series of contradictory court rulings.
The previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government resisted attempts led by environmental campaigners to close the mine at Turow, which supplies 8% of Poland’s energy.
On Wednesday, PAP reported a court had overturned a 2022 decision that allowed the mine to continue operations. However, it reported the court had not ruled on policy, meaning the mine can still operate.
The main Turow case is pending at a Warsaw administrative court that will rule on a government decision dating from February 2023 that would allow Turow to continue mining until 2044.
“The judgment regarding the environmental decision does not result in the suspension of the operation of the Turow mine. The state’s energy policy was not subject to the court’s assessment,” PAP cited the court as saying.
Environmental groups have long criticised the environmental impact of the open-pit mine, and filed several lawsuits aimed at halting its operations.
The present government, elected last October, has said it wants to kickstart the country’s transition to lower carbon energy.
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