Coal Transition in the CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech Republic has seen a significant decline in coal production and employment since 1990, with the share of coal in primary energy production falling from 89% to 58% by 2014. The transition has been characterized by the privatization of mines, the imposition of ecological territorial limits in the North Bohemian Brown Coal Basin, and state-funded environmental remediation. While the broader economic transformation is viewed as successful, specific mining regions have faced social isolation and economic distress. Future energy policy aims to further reduce coal's share in electricity and heat, favoring nuclear power and renewables.

• Coal's dominance in the Czech energy mix declined significantly between 1990 and 2014, with its share of primary energy production dropping from 89% to 58%. During this period, nuclear power's share grew from 8% to 27%, and renewables increased from 2% to 13%.
• Employment in the mining and quarrying sector fell sharply from 156,384 full-time equivalents (FTE) in 1990 to 33,546 FTE in 2015. Specifically, coal and lignite mining employment dropped by 41% between 1990 and 1993.
• The government established ecological territorial limits in 1991 across six locations in the North Bohemian Brown Coal Basin, covering 591 km2. These limits have been a point of contention, with some being revoked or extended at the Bílina mine to secure heating and preserve jobs, while others, like those at the CSA mine, remained to avoid destroying villages.
• The Czech state provided substantial financial support for the coal transition between 1992 and 2009, totaling CZK 72 billion (approximately €3 billion). This included CZK 43 billion for technical mine closures and land restoration, and CZK 29 billion for social and health benefits for miners.
• The 2015 National energy conception predicts a continued shift away from coal in electricity generation by 2040, targeting a brown coal share of 15.2%, while increasing nuclear power to 48.8% and renewables to 22.8%.
• The transition has had disparate regional impacts; while the national economic transformation is considered successful, mining regions became 'economically troubled areas' with high unemployment and negative migration. For example, the Karviná district experienced negative migration rates since 1971.

APA

Rečková, D., Rečka, L., & Ščasný, M. (2017). Coal Transition in the CZECH REPUBLIC. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/COAL_CZ_v04.pdf

Chicago

Rečková, Dominika, Lukáš Rečka, and Milan Ščasný. Coal Transition in the CZECH REPUBLIC. Climate Strategies, 2017. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/COAL_CZ_v04.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rečková |first1=Dominika |last2=Rečka |first2=Lukáš |last3=Ščasný |first3=Milan |title=Coal Transition in the CZECH REPUBLIC |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=2017 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/COAL_CZ_v04.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rekov2017coal, author = {Rečková, Dominika and Rečka, Lukáš and Ščasný, Milan}, title = {{Coal Transition in the CZECH REPUBLIC}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2017}, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/COAL_CZ_v04.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }