Green jobs in coal regions. Case study: Bełchatów

The document argues that green investments in the Bełchatów region, primarily funded by the EU's Just Transition Mechanism (JTM), can generate significantly more employment than is currently provided by the Bełchatów Power Plant complex. It highlights that the lodzkie voivodeship could access up to PLN 45 billion in EU funds for 2021-2027, though this amount depends on a government pledge to reach climate neutrality by 2050. The highest job creation potential is identified in thermal retrofitting, solar, and onshore wind, with the potential to create 61,000 jobs from JTM funds alone.

• The lodzkie voivodeship has the potential to secure up to PLN 45 billion from EU structural funds between 2021 and 2027, which includes PLN 13 billion from the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM). However, a failure by the government to commit to climate neutrality by 2050 could reduce this allocation by half.
• Green investments funded solely by the JTM could create 61,000 jobs in the Bełchatów region, a figure six times higher than the current workforce at the Bełchatów Power Plant complex. This number would decrease by 25,000 if the 2050 climate neutrality pledge is not made.
• The greatest potential for job creation lies in onshore wind, solar capacity, and the thermal retrofit of buildings. Further employment growth is possible by increasing Poland's role in the renewable energy source (RES) value chain, specifically in producing batteries for electric vehicles, energy storage facilities, and components for wind and solar farms.

APA

Czyżak, P., Hetmański, M., Iwanowski, D., Kiewra, D., & Szwarc, K. (2020). Green jobs in coal regions. Case study: Bełchatów. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/xsnedyhx/2020-08-31-green-jobs-in-coal-regions-case-study-belchatow-ext-en.pdf

Chicago

Czyżak, Paweł, Michał Hetmański, Damian Iwanowski, Daniel Kiewra, and Katarzyna Szwarc. Green jobs in coal regions. Case study: Bełchatów. ClientEarth, 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/xsnedyhx/2020-08-31-green-jobs-in-coal-regions-case-study-belchatow-ext-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Czyżak |first1=Paweł |last2=Hetmański |first2=Michał |last3=Iwanowski |first3=Damian |last4=Kiewra |first4=Daniel |last5=Szwarc |first5=Katarzyna |title=Green jobs in coal regions. Case study: Bełchatów |publisher=ClientEarth |date=2020 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/xsnedyhx/2020-08-31-green-jobs-in-coal-regions-case-study-belchatow-ext-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{czyak2020green, author = {Czyżak, Paweł and Hetmański, Michał and Iwanowski, Damian and Kiewra, Daniel and Szwarc, Katarzyna}, title = {{Green jobs in coal regions. Case study: Bełchatów}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/xsnedyhx/2020-08-31-green-jobs-in-coal-regions-case-study-belchatow-ext-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }