The Future of Polish Lignite Mining

摘要

The lignite, with the hard coal, constitutes a strategic fuel for the Polish economy. Within the last decade the share of lignite in the production of the electric power varied 35% and it was definitely the cheapest source of energy. In 2001 the power plants using the lignite had the combined installed power of 8833 MW, and that constituted 25.5% of the installed power in Polish power plants. The prospects of the lignite is closely tied to the power industry since only 0.8% of it is used for the purposes other that the productions of the electric power. With conservative estimates of the economic growth one should assume that the demand for the electric power would grow approximately 1% annually, just like in the last decade. The growing demand for the electric power can be satisfied using the traditional resources of the solid fuels that are available in Poland. The lignite should maintain its share of the market of fuels used for the production of the electric power for the next 50 years. It will be possible by fully using its resources available in the operating mines and by opening a new large mining and power complex near Legnica.