On the 26th of August 2013 environmental organizations ClientEarth Poland, Eko-Kociewie, Association Workshop for All Beings, Greenpeace and World Wide Fund for Nature Poland filed a request to the General Director of Environmental Protection for the annulment of the decision on environmental approval issued for the ‘North‘ Power Plant. The decision contains manifest errors and will result in a serious threat to the most precious fish species that occur in the lower Vistula River. „We have presented expert opinions according to which the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) had made a number of mistakes that work for the benefit of the investor but to the detriment of the environment” – reminds Radosław Ślusarczyk from the Association Workshop for All Beings. According to the organizations, the decision is contrary to the provisions of the Regulation of 4 October 2002 which clearly specifies that discharge of wastewater must not raise water temperature in a river by more than 1.5◦C. Meanwhile, at the request of the investor, the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection agreed that this limit be exceeded by 0,5◦C. Moreover, wastewater discharge must not raise water temperature above the maximum level of 21.5◦C. Nevertheless, at the request of the investor, the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection determined the upper limit of temperature at 26.5◦C.
The ‘North’ Power Plant is the biggest coal-fired power plant planned in Europe. It is going to be built in the middle of valued rural areas, and its annual CO2 emission will reach 10 million tonnes. The investment is vitiated by major errors. On the 5th of September 2011, at the request of ClientEarth Poland, the Minister of Environment revoked the integrated permit for the investment, and the Regional Administrative Court in Gdansk judgement of February 14 2013 to the case brought by ClientEarth Poland and Eko-Kociewie repealed the building permit for the ‘North’ Power Plant.
„The decision of the General Director for Environmental Protection proves that our suppositions are correct. We are waiting for the final resolution and are counting on the annulment of the decision” – comments Marcin Stoczkiewicz who leads the Polish ClientEarth team. If the decision is annulled, the General Directorate for Environmental Protection will confirm that the impact of the planned investment on environment is going to be much bigger than the investor claims.
On this occasion, the NGOs also appealed to the Polish government for the implementation of appropriate governmental support for investments in renewable sources of energy. A proper act on renewable sources of energy would help the investor, Kulczyk Investments, redirect their capital from the ‘North’ Power Plant into projects based on clean energy that are planned by KI subsidiaries such as biogas (Polenergia Biogaz Sp. z o.o.) and marine wind power plants (Polish Energy Partners SA).
The organizations also remind about the ongoing international action of sending letters to the ‘North’ Power Plant investor – Jan Kulczyk, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Kulczyk Investments – with a request that he withdraw from this investment. Detailed information on the campaign and the impact of the investment on environment are available on www.stopep.org
More information and detailed ichthyological analysis:
Michał Olszewski, policy & media officer ClientEarth Poland:
Tel. +48 22 307 2103, +48 609 733 492 molszewski@clientearth.org
Monika Kamińska, Eko–Kociewie:
+48 883 983 583 monicakaminska@gmail.com
Radosław Ślusarczyk, Stowarzyszenie Pracownia na rzecz Wszystkich Istot:
+48 33 817 14 68 biuro@pracownia.org.pl
Katarzyna Guzek, Greenpeace Polska:
+48 22 659 84 99 katarzyna.guzek@greenpeace.pl
Dorota Zawadzka-Stępniak, WWF Polska:
+48 785 120 281 dzawadzka@wwf.pl