The Turów Case: Lost Opportunity for a Just Energy Transition

Prague - The series of investigative reports deals with the story of the Czech-Polish conflict about the future of the Turów mine in the border region of both countries, put in a wider historical and social context.

The legal conflict, ultimately brought to Court of Justice of the European Union, was just one of the stages of a long-term disagreement about the environmental and cross-border effects of the lignite mine and coal electricity plant in Turów on the Czech neighbours.

This cross-border issue is seen from different perspectives. The reports offer Czech and Polish views on the conflict, but contextualise the problem in mutual dialogue. We talk to local people on both sides of the border, trade unionists, ecological activists and politicians. The story of Turów is seen as a part of more significant issues – the Green Deal and just transformation, de-carbonisation and the coal phase-out, climate change, and the future of energy systems in both countries. There is a historical context which explains the symbolic and political meaning of the mine in Poland. The reports also tackle the social dimension as an essential part of the story underlining the importance of just transition and its missed opportunities as they unfold in the Turów story.

📷 Petr Vodička