Land rehabilitation
Land rehabilitation is one of the most important measures for restoring the use and natural values of post-mining areas and restoring their previous or shaping new environmental features. It also aims to ensure biodiversity.
PGE’s ongoing land rehabilitation activities include the following stages:
- preliminary (preparatory) rehabilitation – it consists in determining what factors condition the correct course of the rehabilitation process. At this stage, elevation surveying is performed, mining maps are drawn up, as well as cost and design documentation is prepared,
- basic (technical) rehabilitation – it consists in stripping and grading operations, including earthworks, consisting in the proper shaping of the heap into a system of slopes and shelves, regulation of water relations by means of hydrotechnical facilities and equipment, as well as reconstruction or construction of access roads,
- specific (biological) rehabilitation – it consists in improving the air and water properties of the soil, eliminating excessive acidification, supplementing missing nutrients, introducing green and tree vegetation to recreate the biological conditions of the area and protect it against surface erosion,
- post-rehabilitation activities – they comprise the cultivation and maintenance of new seedlings, as well as the removal and replacement of dead ones.
As a result of the works carried out, the slopes and shelves of the dump are finally shaped, the slopes are stabilised by controlled rainwater drainage, the top layer of the soil is strengthened and the whole area is protected against erosion, the volume of rainwater runoff is reduced by increasing soil retention, the quality of water flowing from the dump is improved and fugitive emissions are reduced.
Poland’s unique land rehabilitation process
The Bełchatów Lignite Mine conducts land activities on a large scale. One of the main land directions currently being pursued is that of forestry, which has a positive impact on the landscape and climate, improves water retention capacities and reduces water and air erosion. Land works are carried out on an ongoing basis in parallel with regular mining operations. To date, the mine has already rehabilitated more than 2,300 ha of post-mining land and handed over more than 1,700 ha of rehabilitated, afforested land to the State Forests. It can be provisionally estimated that about 5,500 ha (including protective strips of land around water reservoirs) will be eventually made available for afforestation purposes.
>2,300 ha
rehabilitated post-mining areas
1,700 ha
reclaimed, forested land
~5,500 ha
of the land will be transferred to forest management
The of post-mining areas in the Bełchatów Lignite Mine is carried out on the basis of a technological project for the Bełchatów Field and the Szczerców Field, as well as on the basis of annual detailed technical projects for individual areas.
Mount Kamieńsk is a flagship example of comprehensive land rehabilitation efforts. It
is the highest elevation in central Poland at 395 metres above sea level and was formed from 1,354 billion cubic metres of overburden removed in the process of excavating successive layers of lignite.
At that site, land consisted in soil restoration and the planting of forests, which today are home to many plant and animal species. Through the development of land for recreational and sports purposes, Mount Kamieńsk has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in the region and central Poland. A ski lift, hiking and cycling routes and a 620-metre long sledge run make Mount Kamieńsk an important point on the map of summer and winter sports enthusiasts. In addition, a 30 wind power plant has also been built on the mountain.
PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna has also completed the formation of the second dump in the Szczerców Field. This process took 17 years and resulted in the creation of a “twin” Mount Kamieńsk. The dump was formed from almost 1 billion cubic metres of overburden covering lignite deposits. At present, the mountain has an area of 1,114 ha and a relative height of approximately 170 m. The of the dump is being carried out in a forestry direction with a recreational function thanks to the planned planting of forests, as well as the building of cycle paths, a golf course, an autodrome, a hippodrome and a ski slope. A will also be built at the top of the mountain.
In 2022, the Bełchatów Lignite Mine obtained administrative decisions approving the of 143.3 ha of land in the Bełchatóww Field and 25.8 ha of land in the Szczerców Field for forestry purposes as completed.
In the area of the Bełchatów Field, works are underway on corrections and additions to afforestation related to the operations carried out in the previous years. The objectives of the process include the following:
- afforestation of the internal dump of the Bełchatów Field,
- afforestation as well as recreational, agricultural (cultivation of energy crops) and commercial (construction of a wind farm) activities on the external dump of the Szczerców Field,
- creation of water reservoirs in the mining pits of the Bełchatów and Szczerców Fields,
- recreational and sports facilities as well as afforestation in the shore areas.
Biological works were being carried out in 2023. All operations were conducted in accordance with the previously developed and approved schedule.
For the external dump of the Szczerców Field, sodding is currently being carried out on the hilltop as part of a biological enclosure, which consists in enriching the soil layer with plants (by sowing the area).
On the internal dump of the Bełchatow Field, an area of 45.6 hectares was used to carry out preparatory works for afforestation planned for the following year. Meanwhile, an area of 28.9 ha was sodded on the external dump of the Szczerców Field and forest trees were planted on an area of 20.7 ha. In addition, a forest stand of 16.3 ha was replenished.
The final land task of the Bełchatów Lignite Mine will be the of both pits, combined with the creation of a large water sports and leisure complex. The scale of difficulty of this project has no equivalent in Poland. Once mining operations are fully terminated, the Bełchatów Lignite Mine could become an important destination for water sports enthusiasts. More than 4,000 hectares will be turned into a reservoir for business or recreational and sports activities according to local needs.
Oxygen generating area of the Bogatynia Commune
The main task of the land process carried out at the Turów Lignite Mine is the shaping of a biotope for the subsequent afforestation of the post-mining areas, taking into account the diversity of the gradually developing micro-habitats, which increase the value of the ecosystem. This is due to the interaction of anthropogenic and biological factors on the raw formations constituting the bedrock of the developing soils.
In the case of the Turów Lignite Mine, the of the external waste rock dump, which has been carried out since the 1960s, is aimed at the afforestation of the area. The rehabilitated external dump of the Turów Lignite Mine Branch is a forest complex with the surface area of over 22 km2, which constitutes an invaluable oxygen generating area of the Bogatynia commune. It is also a diverse natural environment in which habitats and ecological corridors are being created (habitats of a very large number of representatives of both the plant and animal worlds, including many rare and protected species). It is the largest process of this type in Poland, and one of the largest in Europe. Ultimately, the Turów Lignite Mine pit will be rehabilitated as a body of water and all areas above the water table will be afforested.
The effects of the performed works contribute first of all to the improvement of the quality of basic environmental components, i.e. air, water and soil. The fugitive emissions of particulate from the waste rock dump decrease in parallel to the growth of the afforested areas. The anthropogenic forest complex formed on the external dump contributes significantly to the increase of the afforestation rate of the industrialised region. Although the age structure of afforestation is characteristic of young forests, it is already an important landscape and climatic factor for the Bogatynia commune.
In 2023, the land leased from the State Forests (Pieńsk Forest District) underwent the process of biological , which was carried out in accordance with the Forest District’s guidelines. The common pine was reintroduced into the area and silvicultural work was carried out to remove offshoots and regrowth (twice: the in spring and summer of 2023). The performance of the aforementioned work was a condition for obtaining a final decision confirming the of the leased land. In August 2023, such a decision on the completion of the land operations was obtained (Decision of the Head of the Zgorzelec District Office) for a part of plot no. 298/1, precinct 0004 Turoszów AM-1 with a area of 8.65 ha.
Land rehabilitation at PGE Energia Ciepła
Once landfill sites in a particular area have been decommissioned, the company rehabilitates them and restores their functional and natural qualities.
Vegetation is introduced, grass covers are made and trees are planted. In the next step, measures can be taken in such areas to integrate them into their surroundings.
Where possible, measures are planned to restore land’s economic functions by progressively extracting landfilled waste and using it for economic purposes. Stripping and grading operations are performed in order to adapt an area to various economic functions of an industrial, service or municipal character.
Currently, there are 15 landfill sites in PGE Energia Ciepła branches, with the following operating statuses:
Active
Closed, being prepared for rehabilitation
Rehabilitated
An example of the restoration of land’s original functions is the of the decommissioned furnace waste landfill in Gorzów Wielkopolski, which started in 2021. The of the landfill site for non-hazardous and inert waste will be carried out in accordance with the applicable administrative decisions and the technical design developed in this regard.
The company is preparing a plan for a strategic approach to the use of landfill sites, including their development for the purposes of and other renewable energy sources. This will restore the functionality of these sites and also contribute to increasing opportunities for increasing the share of RES in the energy mix.
Land rehabilitation at PGE Energetyka Kolejowa
In 2023, the of a piece of land located in Białystok, following the rail disaster that had occurred on 8 November 2010, was completed. The final works carried out in December 2023 included the removal of the aeration and suction equipment, the dismantling of the connections to the technological openings, the securing of the openings by sealing and leaving them in the ground, as well as the subsequent levelling of the site.