Lignite extraction in the Bełchatów Field is entering its final phase, and the vast open pit left behind is to be turned into a lake surrounded by woodland. The reclamation direction approved by local authorities also matters for nuclear power plans in the area, according to PGE GiEK.
The Bełchatów district governor issued the decision setting out the reclamation directions for post-mining land in the Bełchatów Field. The application came from KWB Bełchatów, the lignite mine operating there. Under the concept, the final pit is to hold a water reservoir covering 1556 hectares, while forest reclamation is planned on 410 hectares around it, turning the excavation into a water-and-forest complex.
PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna described the document as one of the key stages in transforming former mining areas and in delivering its long-term strategy for land use once the deposit is exhausted. It is the first formal administrative act defining the target way the final Bełchatów Field pit will be managed after extraction stops.
Water reservoir as a nuclear asset
According to PGE GiEK, the choice of a water-based reclamation path for the pit and the future creation of a large reservoir carry considerable weight for the development of nuclear energy in the Bełchatów region.
– The post-mining areas of the Bełchatów energy complex are being shaped with the aim of creating the largest water, forest and recreational complex in central Poland. Securing this decision is an important step in delivering that process. Managing post-mining land is one of the key elements of the transformation of the whole region – said Jacek Kaczorowski, president of the PGE GiEK management board.
The company pointed to the drainage system of the Bełchatów mine as an asset of the location. In its statement it said the existing dewatering infrastructure, together with surface waters, can supply the volumes needed for the gradual filling of the pit and for the construction and later operation of a nuclear power plant, including reactor cooling systems.
– The efficient drainage system of the Bełchatów mine, which together with surface waters can provide the resources needed both for the gradual filling of the pit and for the construction and later operation of a nuclear power plant, including reactor cooling systems, is already an important advantage of this location – the company stated.
The reservoir, once completed, could serve as a substantial water base for nuclear generation, both in large-scale technology and in small modular reactors, the company added.
Szczerców keeps working
KWB Bełchatów mines lignite to feed the Bełchatów Power Plant, the largest electricity plant in Poland. Extraction at the Bełchatów Field has been running for more than four decades and is expected to wrap up soon. The Szczerców Field will remain in operation after that.
Źródło: WNP.pl, Fot. PGE GiEK (materiały prasowe)
