In order to mitigate the environmental impact of conventional power generation, flue gas dedusting and desulfurization systems were implemented in Polish power plants in the 1990s. A by-product of the wet limestone desulfurization process is synthetic gypsum, which is highly suitable as a raw material for the gypsum-based materials industry. Synthetic gypsum currently accounts for up to 75% of the total processed gypsum volume in Poland. However, due to the ongoing energy transition, a sharp decline in the supply of this material is expected over the coming decade. This article presents a forecast of the anticipated decrease in synthetic gypsum availability, based on national decarbonization strategies. It highlights the need to increase the exploitation of primary gypsum deposits to meet the domestic demand for gypsum raw material. The paper characterizes Poland's natural gypsum resource base, with particular attention to the challenges of open-pit mining in environmentally valuable areas. It is noted that, during the resource classification process, gypsum reserves that do not meet criteria for open-pit extraction have typically been categorized as sub-economic (non-balance). As an alternative to surface mining, the article proposes the use of the room-and-pillar underground mining system for the exploitation of gypsum deposits. This approach would enable the utilization of resources previously considered unprofitable for open-pit extraction due to their geological conditions, while also minimizing the environmental impact of mining operations. Two case study deposits with large reserves and favourable characteristics for underground mining are proposed for development.
Poland is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of lignite resources (including reserves). With respect to lignite mining, its position is even higher at sixth in the world, fourth in Europe and second in the European Union (EU). The role of lignite in the Polish energy mix is crucial because ~27% of electricity was generated in lignite-fired power plants in 2022. However, there are countries in Europe where the dependence on lignite is much greater and currently in the range of 40-96%. Both the national and EU climate energy policy assumes the abandonment of lignite as a source of ‘dirty’ electricity within the next two decades. This ambitious goal is achievable but it may be threatened by the geopolitical situation. However, after 2040-2044, a large number of lignite deposits will remain in Poland. The deposits are well recognized and the detailed geology is well documented, with the estimated reserves intended for exploitation amounting to 5.8 Gt. These deposits, like the five which are currently mined, are stratigraphically diverse and characterized by a complex geology, representing different genetic types. In the context of a coal-free energy policy in the EU, the problem of the legal protection of lignite deposits remains. Thus, the question arises of what is next for Polish lignite deposits. They may be managed in the coming decades by using improved unconventional methods, such as in situ or ex situ gasification. Lignite deposits will constitute a strategic reserve in the event of a deep energy crisis caused by an unstable geopolitical situation. Finally, we suggest the urgent introduction of more precise legal changes that would protect at least part of the lignite resources in Poland for future generations.
PL
Polska znajduje się w pierwszej dziesiątce krajów na świecie pod względem zasobów i rezerw węgla brunatnego. Pod względem wydobycia węgla brunatnego jej pozycja jest jeszcze wyższa, tj. szósta na świecie, czwarta w Europie i druga w Unii Europejskiej (UE). Rola węgla brunatnego w polskim miksie energetycznym jest kluczowa, gdyż w 2022 roku w elektrowniach nim opalanych wytworzono ~27% energii elektrycznej. Zarówno krajowa, jak i unijna polityka klimatyczno-energetyczna zakłada w ciągu najbliższych dwóch dekad odejście od węgla brunatnego jako źródła „brudnej” energii elektrycznej. Ten ambitny cel jest możliwy do osiągnięcia, jednak może mu zagrozić sytuacja geopolityczna. Z drugiej strony, po latach 2040-2044, w Polsce pozostanie duża liczba złóż węgla brunatnego. Złoża są dobrze rozpoznane, szczegółowa budowa geologiczna dobrze udokumentowana, a szacowane zasoby przeznaczone do eksploatacji wynoszą 5,8 Gt. Złoża te, podobnie jak pięć obecnie eksploatowanych, są zróżnicowane stratygraficznie, charakteryzują się złożoną geologią oraz reprezentującą różne typy genetyczne. W kontekście bezwęglowej polityki energetycznej w UE pozostaje problem prawnej ochrony złóż węgla brunatnego. Rodzi się zatem pytanie: co dalej z polskimi złożami węgla brunatnego? Można je w nadchodzących dziesięcioleciach zagospodarować, stosując udoskonalone metody niekonwencjonalne, takie jak zgazowanie in situ lub ex situ. Złoża węgla brunatnego będą stanowić rezerwę strategiczną na wypadek głębokiego kryzysu energetycznego spowodowanego np. niestabilną sytuacją geopolityczną. Zatem sugerujemy pilne wprowadzenie bardziej precyzyjnych zmian prawnych, które chroniłyby przynajmniej część zasobów węgla brunatnego w Polsce dla przyszłych pokoleń.
Phosphate rocks and elemental phosphorus are considered to be critical raw materials mainly because of such parameters as the growing prices of phosphate fertilizers, the high concentration of producers limited to several countries in the world, the exceptional significance of phosphorus in agriculture and the inability to substitute it. In Poland 100% of the demand phosphate rocks relies on import. The expansion and mining of the nation’s own resource base may be an alternative to import and a way to provide safety of supplies. Historically, phosphorites from the northern margin of the Holy Cross Mountains were extracted using the underground method, which was abandoned in the beginning of the 1970s due to the unprofitability of extraction. However, in eastern and south-eastern Poland, phosphorite concretions of the Eocene age occur at shallow depths, which can have local significance as mineral deposits and might be extracted in open-pit mines. The economics of mining in shallow opencasts do not require such stringent limiting parameters for phosphate deposits as those currently valid, which were established for underground mining conditions. In this publication, the authors analyzed contemporary conditions for a cost-effective phosphorite deposit, including the price fluctuations of phosphate rock, a review of threshold parameters of deposits for phosphorite projects in the world, and the economics of open-pit ore extraction, where an aggregate mine with mixed extraction (partially from below the water table) was adopted as a point of reference. As a result, new threshold parameters defining an ore deposit and its boundaries are proposed for Eocene phosphorites in Poland.
PL
Rosnące ceny fosforytów i nawozów fosforanowych, silna koncentracja producentów ograniczona do kilku państw na świecie, wyjątkowe znaczenie fosforu w rolnictwie, a dodatkowo brak możliwości jego substytucji to czynniki, które powodują, że fosforyty uznane zostały za surowce krytyczne. Alternatywą dla importu i sposobem na osiągnięcie bezpieczeństwa dostaw może być rozszerzenie i eksploatacja własnej bazy zasobowej. W Polsce fosforyty z północnego obrzeżenia Gór Świętokrzyskich wydobywane były metodą podziemną, której zaniechano od początku lat 70. XX wieku ze względu na brak opłacalności wydobycia. Jednakże w Polsce wschodniej i południowo-wschodniej występują płytko konkrecje fosforytowe wieku eoceńskiego, które mogą mieć lokalnie znaczenie złożowe, a wydobycie ich może odbywać się metodą odkrywkową. Ekonomika wydobycia w płytkich odkrywkach nie wymaga tak rygorystycznych parametrów granicznych dla złóż fosforytów jak obecnie obowiązujące, które dobrane są pod warunki eksploatacji metodą podziemną. W publikacji autorzy przeanalizowali współczesne uwarunkowania opłacalności eksploatacji złóż fosforytów, m.in., dynamikę zmian cen fosforytów, przegląd granicznych parametrów złożowych projektów fosforytowych na świecie i ekonomikę odkrywkowej eksploatacji kopaliny, gdzie jako punkt odniesienia (w Polsce) przyjęto kopalnię kruszyw o eksploatacji mieszanej (w części spod lustra wody). W efekcie zaproponowano dla eoceńskich fosforytów w Polsce nowe, graniczne parametry definiujące złoże i jego granice.
The Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute, acting as the Polish Geological Survey (PSG), is responsible for, among others, carrying out works of fundamental importance for the national economy, in particular for the renewal of the country's raw material base, determining the resources of mineral deposits, as well as for environmental protection. As part of this work and within the framework of the activities in the field of implementation of the State Raw Materials Policy, PGI-PIB undertook the valorization of documented mineral deposits of strategic, key and critical importance for the state economy. This valorization is also to include the determination of the spatial relationships of objects that hinder the operation or future commencement of the exploitation of deposits, in accordance with the requirements for the determination of functional areas set out in the National Spatial Development Concept 2030 (NSDC 2030 - repealed in 2020). In order to preserve the utility values of mineral deposits of strategic importance for the state economy, including the preservation of the energy security of the country in the perspective of 2030 and later years, the NSDC 2030 indicated the need to protect them against permanent buildings and line investments, among others by introducing restrictions on how these areas are managed.
Defining a list of strategic deposits is an indispensable activity for preparing the mineral resources policy, a governmental programming and planning document serving to ensure long-term mineral security of the country. Some mineral deposits play a fundamental role in the functioning of the economy and therefore require special protection. Such deposits are referred to under various terms (strategic, key, deficit and critical mineral deposits). Until now, none of these terms has a normative character in Poland. As of 2019, the Polish Geological Institute-National Research Institute is prepares a list of strategic deposits on behalf of the Chief Geologist of the Country. To accomplish this task, a special methodology was developed (using and modifying previously published studies and proposals and the EU approach to critical minerals). Special attention was paid to the issue of legal protection of deposits in the system of planning protection. Based on multi-criteria analysis, deposits of local and regional, national and supranational importance and a list of strategic deposits have been defined. Special plan protection (strategic deposits and those recognized as equivalent for spatial planning) should be extended to 266 deposits out of more than 14 000 documented deposits listed in MIDAS database.
Agresja Rosji wobec Ukrainy ponownie uzmysławia znaczenie i rolę surowców mineralnych w polityce państw. Działania militarne zakłócające łańcuch dostaw surowców wywołują globalny niepokój na rynkach surowcowych, powodując wzrost cen surowców na międzynarodowych rynkach i wahania kursów walut rozliczeniowych w obrocie surowcowym. Bieżąca sytuacja polityczno-militarna wymusza prowadzenie dodatkowych analiz o własnej bazie surowcowej znajdującej się w złożach krajowych i możliwościach jej wykorzystania. Choćby częściowe zamykanie się rynku surowcowego prowadzi do konieczności uwzględnienia działania gospodarki krajowej w warunkach ograniczonej autarkii surowcowej. Tym większą rolę należy obecnie przypisać prowadzeniu właściwej polityki surowcowej państwa. W ramach tej polityki należy rozważyć wprowadzenie instrumentów zachęcających inwestorów do podejmowania działań na rzecz zagospodarowania udokumentowanych zasobów złóż kopalin.
EN
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine once again highlights the importance and role of mineral resources in the politics of countries. Military actions disrupting the raw material supply chain are causing global unrest in mineral commodities markets, driving up commodity prices in international markets and causing fluctuations in raw material settlement currencies. The current political and military situation makes it necessary to conduct additional analyses of mineral reserves in domestic deposits and the possibility of their exploitation. Even partial closure of the raw materials market leads to the necessity to take into account the operation of the national economy under conditions of limited raw materials autarky. This makes it all the more important to pursue an appropriate national minerals policy. As part of this policy, the introduction of instruments encouraging investors to undertake activities aimed at the development of documented mineral deposits should be considered
The importance and the role of minerals in the economy of a country or the world is highlighted by the use of the following terms: scarce mineral, critical mineral, and strategic mineral. The validity of the raw material in the economic processes and knowledge about the sources of its acquisition, access barriers, and the shaping of prices on the domestic and international market allow the development of an action strategy. The strategy must take into account the objective of the action, time horizon, the kind of the instruments that need to be used, and the scope of international cooperation. The importance of the raw material for the country is not only the volume of turnover and volume of production obtained thanks to its application. There are also historical, cultural and social reasons for its importance. The authors present arguments for another meaning of the term – mineral criticality. They also point out the linguistic differences between the term “criticality” in Polish and English. They propose to consider water, medicinal raw materials, some rock resources and amber as critical raw materials for various reasons.
PL
Znaczenie i rola kopalin w gospodarce kraju lub świata przejawia się w stosowaniu różnych określeń: „kopalina deficytowa”, „kopalina krytyczna”, „kopalina strategiczna”. Ważność surowca w procesach gospodarczych oraz wiedza o źródłach jego pozyskiwania, barierach dostępu, kształtowaniu się cen na rynku krajowym i zagranicznym pozwalają na opracowanie strategii działania państwa. Strategia musi uwzględniać cel działania, horyzont czasowy, rodzaj instrumentów koniecznych do wprowadzenia i stosowania oraz zakres współpracy międzynarodowej. Znaczenie surowca dla kraju wynika nie tylko z wielkości obrotów surowcem i wielkość produkcji uzyskanej dzięki jego wykorzystaniu. Określa to również jego znaczenie ze względów historycznych, kulturowych i społecznych. Autorzy przedstawiają argumenty przemawiające za innym znaczeniem terminu „krytyczność surowców mineralnych”. Wskazują również na różnice językowe pomiędzy znaczeniem terminu „krytyczność” w języku polskim i angielskim. Proponują, aby za surowce krytyczne z różnych względów uznać wodę, surowce lecznicze, niektóre surowce skalne czy bursztyn.
The Authors analyze the national deficit of mineral commodities (classified as strategic and critical mineral commodities) against the volume of mineral deposits in Poland, from which these commodities are obtained. The assignment of types and subtypes of minerals that are the source of extraction to the corresponding strategic and critical mineral commodities is presented. A comparison was made between the annual extraction of minerals-sources of mineral commodities and their reserves in documented deposits and the volume of exports and imports of strategic and critical mineral commodities. It was found that Poland does not have a number of mineral deposits useful as sources of mineral commodities (strategic and critical) or documented mineral reserves are not sufficient to cover the needs of the national economy for these mineral commodities. Therefore, most of the critical and strategic mineral raw materials are scarce for Poland. A new approach to the classification of critical and strategic mineral commodities and the definition of the scarcity of mineral commodities in the country was proposed. The task of the geological survey is to conduct research to increase the base of mineral resources, especially those of fundamental importance for the economy. Such works are carried out at the Polish Geological Institute for the benefit of the project of State Raw Materials Policy (still under consideration) and should be continued in subsequent years.
For 60 years, the Polish Geological Institute as a geological survey has been preparing special studies on prospective mineral resources. During this time the title, form, content, model of presented data have been changed. Currently, the study is edited as “Balance of Prospective Mineral Resources of Poland”. The knowledge about mineral resources has a fundamental importance for the national mineral security and rational decisions concerning the country’s economic strategy. The authors present the evolution of methodology, scope and significance of the “Balance...”. The last edition of “Balance...” in 2020 is a comprehensive scientific monograph (citing over 1700 published and unpublished sources) containing information about over 50 major minerals, as well as marine minerals from Baltic Sea.
Senior members of the Polish geological and mining community have appealed for discussion on the main challenges facing the geology and mining sectors after thirty years of the political and economic transformation in the country. A key issue is the proper place of geology in the government administration and in relation to other administrative entities and sectors of the national economy. This article attempts to provide an answer to this issue. It presents the results of a brief analysis of the most important laws defining the role of geology, as well as strategies, policies and government plans regarding the geology and mining as well as the resource management. Shortcomings in efficient functioning of the geological administration and inconsistencies in regulations are critically assessed. A diagnosis is made anda possible solution proposed, including a change in placement of geology in the government administration. The author also proposes a broader concept of management of subsurface resources as a single coherent field.
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