Czech government pushes people to edge in new coal mine expansion

October 19, 2015

Prague - In a landmark decision today, the Czech Republic reversed a quarter century-old ban that prohibited the expansion of surface mining in an area of Northern Bohemia, allowing excavation in close vicinity of homes of more than 120 000 people.

Established in 1991 shortly after Czech independence, the limits of the Bílina mine have been redrawn, now allowing the mining operations to expand to up to 500 meters from the homes of the town of Braňany, raising concerns about the eventual toll on local residents' health.

In a letter sent last week by the Czech Academy of Science to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, scientists detailed how health costs and related economic losses as a result of extending the mine's boundaries would cost the country EUR 370 million and the European Union almost EUR 5 billion [1].

Coal use in the region has already been found to be related to instances of asthma, respiratory and cardiovascular disease and cancer. Alena Dernerova, member of the Czech senate and doctor by profession, said in a statement from September 24th that a year of breathing Northern Bohemian air reduces life expectancy by nine and a half days each year.

The low quality lignite to be extracted in the newly opened area of Bílina mine is also responsible for five percent of all carbon dioxide emissions of Czech coal deposits.

Ondřej Pašek of CEE Bankwatch Network said:

“The Czech government has sent a clear signal to the public and made a mockery of the EU’s commitment to a low-carbon transition. While the government has received billions of euros in EU funds for much needed energy savings measures, today’s decision makes those investments wasted money and a step backwards for the Czech energy sector and economy.”