04 March 2014 04/03/2013- A delegation from the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning visited Poland. The visit was organized and supported by the World Bank, while the host institution was the Ministry of Environment of Poland. The delegation from MESP was led by Arben Çitaku, Secretary General of MESP, Ilir Morina, Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Muhamet Malsiu, Director of the Environmental Protection Department. The purpose of the visit was to gain experience in environmental protection during the process of energy production from lignite.
Lignite coal is the greatest wealth of Europe's newest country, with its reserves estimated at over 14 billion tons. These reserves do not pose a problem for extraction since they are found near the surface of the earth, and also the coal contains small amounts of sulfur. A similar situation exists in Poland where lignite coal is the main strategic source for electricity production. Poland has the largest lignite coal reserves in Europe.
In addition to meetings with representatives of the Polish Ministry of Environment, the delegation from Kosovo also visited one of the largest mines and power plants in Poland, located in the city of Belchatów. This power plant has an energy production capacity of 540 MWh and covers 2/3 of the country's needs, and it is the first in Europe and the second in the world in terms of energy production capacity from lignite coal. The delegation also visited the coal power plant and mine in the city of Konin.
During the meetings that the Kosovar delegation had with Polish energy and environmental experts, experiences were exchanged regarding the efficient management of environmental protection from lignite-based energy production, taking into account that soon the construction of the new Kosova e Re power plant will begin in Kosovo. The Polish experts expressed their readiness to assist and cooperate in exchanging experiences in the future, while the Kosovar delegation appreciated the Polish experience as a very good guide.