In 2016 r. there was a disaster at the Turów mine. At the tailings pile, the ground slid and buried coal that could be extracted. According to TVN, it was the biggest disaster that ever occurred in an open pit. However, so far, all information about this event has been hidden.
The reporter of "Superwizjer” has reached hitherto unknown, shocking information about the Turów mine. The material broadcast by TVN describes a number of abuses and corruption scandals related to the Bogatynia commune and the Turów energy complex. The footage also reveals previously unknown threads about a disaster that occurred in the open pit in 2016.
"Fluidized bed ash, which is about 10 percent and has the entire periodic table, including heavy metals and high levels of sulfides. If sulfates or heavy metal elements get into the groundwater, they become deadly for organisms," emphasizes the TVN interlocutor, an expert and long-time manager of the energy industry.
"From the information that has reached us, it appears that there may have been pollution of the entire area, especially water. In addition, the waste that was created during the disaster - debris and dust - was not properly protected. The ashes most likely got into the groundwater near the Turów mine. This can have a negative impact that will show up even in several or over a dozen years. The area can create the so-called acidic mine drainage, changing the pH of water to one that will kill living organisms. Such ash contamination can have terrible effects, especially on living plants and animals, such as killing fish,” commented on the case for Gazeta Wyborcza Paweł Pomian from the EKO-UNIA Association.
Is the catastrophe delaying the truce with the Czech Republic?
According to TVN, the catastrophe from 5 years ago may impact the current negotiations with the Czech Republic. Czech side wants independent observers to enter the mine. Perhaps PGE is afraid that irregularities related to the catastrophe could come to light. Gazeta Wyborcza emphasizes that the disaster was the result of numerous PGE errors.
Moreover, landslide formation may have had the effect of shifting mining closer to the Czech border. It may also be the reason for continuous failures of the new unit at the Turów power plant.
"It is likely that the best and most exploitable coal deposits were cut off by the catastrophe. Their quality was selected for the new Turów power plant unit, which is currently deteriorating as it uses lower-quality coal. As far as we can talk about quality lignite since it is the most poisonous and polluting fuel. However, when it comes to energy values, the parameters of the buried coal were better," Tomasz Waśniewski from the Foundation „Development YES - Open Pit Mines NO" told Gazeta Wyborcza.
Sources:
- https://tvn24.pl/polska/superwizjer-uklad-wokol-turowa-zatrzymanie-dzialaczy-pis-w-bogatyni-i-skutki-katastrofy-w-kopalni-turow-5487831?fbclid=IwAR2QVyC7V4cGjZ9H5aMtwA7btlnFL_doXAnTiRae3afT2qbHHAK7sOMByVA
- https://wroclaw.wyborcza.pl/wroclaw/7,35771,27836686,katastrofa-w-turowie-byla-skutkiem-bledow-pge-i-jest-jedna.html?fbclid=IwAR0Q5HpMhCMtpQFTcshH8RGWWOSEYy36PmkV2jdGGrqwwyJrp7TghcGYK2Y
- https://wroclaw.wyborcza.pl/wroclaw/7,35771,27822161,ekolog-katastrofa-ekologiczna-w-turowie-nadal-moze-miec-fatalne.html
