Labour minister: Current crisis may delay end to coal mining in Czechia

Given the war in Ukraine and Europe’s decision to cut its dependence on Russian oil, gas and coal supplies it is not clear when the Czech Republic will be in a position to phase-out coal mining entirely, Labour and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka told journalists on Monday. Minister Jurečka said the government would do its best to speed up the switch to renewable sources, but the inevitable fall out in gas and coal supplies from Russia would complicate the situation. The Fiala government originally outlined a plan to phase out coal from the country’s energy mix by 2033, however, mining activity is expected to significantly increase in the near future in response to the high costs of natural gas and may continue for longer than anticipated.