Izabela Kloc, Member of the European Parliament organized and moderated this internet debate. The participants in the debate discussed the challenges related to energy transition, among other topics. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the patron of the conference emphasized many times that a breakthrough related to Poland’s energy transition will transpire in Upper Silesia.
- Silesia offers enormous potential not just for the mining industry but also to meet the economy’s needs for automation. Coal is a source of wealth for us, but people represent an even greater source of wealth - said Prime Minister Morawiecki. - We have to attract new investors for Silesia to remain the industrial heart of Poland and that is my commitment to the residents of Silesia - as the Prime Minister of Poland assured during the conference.
The participants in the debate concordantly stated that a responsible approach to energy transition is required and that it should be treated as an opportunity for Poland, especially for the Silesian region.
“Silesia will be the region that will be affected to the greatest degree by energy transition. That is why our government is determined to prepare the right program for Silesia to avoid adverse repercussions. We posit investments in many different areas and branches of industry. Silesia is an important part of our Polish Deal program”, said Jacek Sasin, Minister of State Assets.
- The topics under discussion pertain to raw material and energy security, the challenges and threats to Silesia in connection with EU climate policy and modern technologies that may serve as a driver of change in our region. At present, we are in the process of running two research projects in the Central Mining Institute: the first one’s major purpose is to enhance efficiency in the revitalization of land that has been degraded through mining operations while the second project pertains to ventilation air methane utilization - says Professor Stanisław Prusek, Director of the Central Mining Institute who is also the acting President of the Management Board of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa.
An important part of economic transformation is the utilization and revitalization of post-mining land and existing spoil tips of which there are 150 in Silesia. JSW Innowacje in the JSW Group is running innovative projects in collaboration with many scientific institutes.
- The goal of these projects is to utilize post-mining land for business, economic, environmental and social purposes. Here we are talking about clean air and clean energy and the production of hydrogen or methanol. It will also be possible to use this land to locate gigantic photovoltaic farms - said Mariusz Wielkopolan, Vice-President of the Management Board responsible for operations at JSW Innowacje, adding that this project is a perfect fit for the initiative to benefit mining regions.
During the conference Izabela Kloc drew attention to the fact that it is still necessary to fight for coking coal to ensure that this raw material is not deleted from the list of the European Union’s critical raw materials during the subsequent update in 2023.
- Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa is the largest producer of coking coal in the European Union. You are perfectly well-aware of how important coking coal is for the EU economy and the global economy. It makes it possible to manufacture wind turbines, solar panels, the compounds needed to build hydrogen storage units, which form the foundation for renewable energy, the apple of the eye of the European Union - stated Izabela Kloc, Member of the European Parliament.