The European Court of Justice has ordered Poland to pay a fine of €500,000 ($586,000) for each day an open open-pit mine near the Czech and German borders continues to operate.
The ruling by Europe's top court Monday comes months after the Czech Republic filed a lawsuit against the country with the aim of shutting down the Turów lignite mine. Since the lawsuit was filed in May, the Polish government has refused to cease operations at the mine.
Even if it has to pay the hefty daily penalty, Poland still refuses to shut down the mine. Polish government spokesperson, Piotr Mueller, said shutting down the KWB Turów mine would severely affect the country's power system.
The Turów lignite mine supplies power to about 2.3 million households around the country. PGE, the state-controlled company that operates the mine, said the facility is also one of the nation's top employers. The mine provides jobs for one in every two residents in the region, directly or indirectly.
Germany and the Czech Republic have repeatedly expressed environmental concerns over the continued activities of the mine, which is located in the tiny, appendix-like tip of Poland near the borders of the two nations.
Both Germany and the Czech Republic also still greatly depend on coal for their power needs. According to the International Energy Agency, Poland relies on coal to supply 80% of its domestic energy needs. Germany's reliance is about 43%, while the Czech Republic relies on coal for 54% of its needs.
Issues regarding the mine's operations began when PGE announced plans to expand its open-pit digging close toward the Czech Republic's border. The Czech government attempting to negotiate the cessation of the plan but PGE made it clear that it was moving ahead with its expansion.
Czechs living near the border have expressed concerns over how the expanded operations could affect groundwater levels. Some residents claimed that wells have started to dry out as the mine digs deeper into the ground and inches close to the border.
Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek praised the decision but added that his government is willing to reopen negotiations with Poland regarding the future of the mine.
