External Costs to Agriculture Associated with Further Open pit Lignite Mining from the Bełchatów Deposit

The energy crisis in Europe and Poland caused by the conflict Ukraine has renewed debate some countries about wisdom of abandoning use local fossil fuels. rise gas oil prices with little change cost extracting lignite from open pit mines led to a consideration as cheapest source energy. This is not entirely true, level costs at power plants ignores many external that are included producers, but borne general public or other parties. One such incurred agriculture result mining associated depression funnels. Bełchatów deepest expected be operation 2038. aim study was assess farmers will incur further brown call deposit, i.e., between 2023 2038 well 16-year extended period restoration water relations around pit. decrease crop yields animal numbers estimated comparative analysis, which compared changes selected animals area affected those neighboring areas were affected. analysis showed exploitation deposit amount an average EUR 2.90 billion, and, depending on calculation variant, 2.51 billion 3.14 billion. Including this electricity production would increase 9.11·MWh−1, 18.8% wholesale price 2017–2021. On one hand, increased consumption production, currently observed may last for several years, shorten life up 2 years. Shortening year, assuming all coal mined, reduce 185 million, 0.58·MWh−1. European Emissions Trading System (ETS) prices, renewable (RES) make generation profitable only during periods highest so mined its entirety. Every 10 Gg per MWh 0.23·MWh−1.