Greenpeace calls on Polish prime minister at Turow: Close the mine, care for the people

07.05.2025, POLAND - Greenpeace activists have been occupying one of the giant machines used to extract lignite at the Turów open-pit mine (southwestern Poland) since early this morning. Their peaceful action aims to urge the Polish prime minister to unequivocally declare the closure of the open-pit mine and power plant of Turów within the next few years. Setting a date for Turow's closure must be accompanied by a plan for the region's just transition, which would enable it to obtain all the necessary funds and resources. Without government action in this direction, the region faces collapse and unemployment. 

More than a dozen of Greenpeace activists entered the Turow open-pit mine site before dawn and climbed one of the installations, about the height of a 13-story apartment block. They placed a giant banner on the huge excavator displaying a portrait of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, along with the slogans:  "Coal is finished. Prime Minister, take care of the people!", “Just transition NOW!”. 

“For many years, the region's residents have been duped into believing that Turow's future would be secure until nearly mid-century. This is not an option. Due to the rising cost of lignite energy production, Turow will soon be replaced by renewable energy, which is cheap to produce and, when combined with energy storage, becomes a stable and secure source of electricity. It's time to stop pretending. Today we call on Prime Minister Donald Tusk to urgently set a date for Turow’s closure and begin work on the region’s transition", said Malgorzata Lach, an activist taking part in the protest. 

Greenpeace activists stress that due to changes coming to the so-called “capacity market” after 2028, only one unit of the power plant will be operational beyond that date. Moreover, this is a unit that, due to its faulty design, has already experienced long periods of downtime or has rarely operated at full capacity since 2021. 

“The people of the Turow region are waiting for a strategic plan to secure their future. But there is little they can do without funding, and there is no chance of receiving funds unless the government acknowledges that Turow will effectively cease operation in the next few years. The European funds that could become available if the government sets a closure date would support the creation of the new jobs and the investments local residents need. This has been the case in the former lignite mine regions of Wielkopolskie” said Krzysztof Cibor, who heads the campaign team at Greenpeace Poland.