Diagnoza uwarunkowań społeczno-gospodarczych dla projektowanego zagospodarowania złoża Gubin

Abstract

This article has been prepared in connection with the plans for a new mine and power plant based on the resources of the Gubin lignite deposit in Lubuskie province. The planned open pit mine will affect an area including two communes - Gubin and Brody. The project is important for the Polish power system and has been considered in strategic documents of the Polish government; however, it still has not been adequately accepted by the local community. The deposit, which will be exploited by open pit mining and overburden dumping over a period of approximately 50 years, has an area of 8.5 thousand ha. As a consequence of mining activity, land use in the affected area will becompletely changed. Based on commonly accessible sources, the article presents analysis of social and economiccircumstances, and conditions for the planned mining and [energetic complex energy production facilities. The characteristics of the Gubin and Brody communes are compared with data for both the Lubuskie province and Poland as a whole. Key demographic factors are as follows: the number of inhabitants, population density, age, and migration characteristics. Economic analysis includes factors like the income of inhabitants, employment opportunities, and the unemployment rate. Companies working in the area were characterized together with their importance for the income of the communes. The land use in the deposit area was inventoried, e.g. the number of houses, their age and condition, the road network, water supply network, public facilities, and historic buildings. A separate chapter provides a short diagnosis of social acceptance for the planned project. It emphasizes the need for the investor to continuously and actively provide information in order to minimize social conflicts associated with the project. The presented social and economic characteristics can be used as a basis for cost and profit analysis for the planned mining energy complex in the community of the affected area.