Europe’s largest coal mine begins phased closure as Poland shifts from lignite

Europe’s largest open-pit coal mine — a central pillar of Poland’s power system — has begun its phased shutdown as its lignite reserves near exhaustion.

The process started with the retirement of the 7,500-ton K-42 excavator, in service since 1978, which removed nearly one billion cubic meters of overburden, including sand, clay, and gravel covering the coal seams, as reported by TVP World.

The machine belonged to the mine’s K-T-Z (Excavator-Conveyor-Stacker) system that for decades supplied the adjacent Bełchatów power plant, Poland’s biggest electricity producer and one of Europe’s largest carbon emitters.

At its height, the Bełchatów mine delivered more than 40 million tonnes of lignite annually, fueling a power station that provides roughly one-fifth of Poland’s electricity.

The decommissioning of the K-42 marks the initial phase of dismantling the mine. State-controlled PGE, the site operator, holds a mining license for the Bełchatów field only until the end of 2026, when the area is slated to be flooded and converted into an artificial lake.

Production has already declined sharply to about 31–32 million tonnes per year, with an estimated 2 million tonnes of lignite left in the Bełchatów field.

Mining at the neighbouring Szczerców field will continue until 2038, though output there will also taper off over time.

The K-42 and comparable excavators — each weighing several thousand tonnes — rank among Europe’s largest industrial machines. The biggest of them, the SchRs 4600×50 No. 41, stretches 195 meters long and rises 72 meters high, featuring a 17.5-meter-diameter bucket wheel.

Local media report that components of the decommissioned K-42 — including its engines, crawler tracks, and electronics — may be repurposed, while its 17-meter bucket wheel could be placed in a museum to honour the mine that supplied a substantial share of Poland’s energy.

The Bełchatów power complex remains a major employer in the Łódź region. Before construction began in 1975, Bełchatów was a small, agriculturally focused town with limited prospects. The development of the power plant turned the area into a major energy hub, rapidly transforming the local economy and reshaping the town’s identity. Today, around 20,000 people work in the energy sector and associated industries such as mining, logistics, and maintenance, including 7,000 employed directly by state-owned PGE.

The plant is one of the world's top 10 "super polluter" power plants and Europe's most polluting plant, responsible for a disproportionate impact on the climate. It emitted about 27 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2022, which is equivalent to about 8.6% of Poland's entire CO2 emissions.

By Nazrin Sadigova