Post-Lignite Era

It is striking that although ligniteßfired plants and lignite mines have operated for over 60 years, no epidemiological study has been conducted on the impact of the air pollution on the health status of the inhabitants of lingite-mining regions.

Over the past 10 years the share of lignite in meeting demand has clearly decreased. This decrease has been offset by a similar increase in the shares of RES and hydropower as well as imports.

Despite the low mining cost, Greece has the most expensive power generation from lignite in Europe mainly due to its extremely low quality.

In terms of lignite production, Greece ranks seventh worldwide and third in the EU. The country' low-calorific value reserves is estimated to last for over 45 years.

The need to use domestic resources and the traditionally low cost of lignite were the reasons why Greece back in the 1950’s turned to lignite combustion as the backbone of its electricity system.

The Heinrich Böll Foundation and Friends of the Earth International have published the first English edition of the Coal Atlas 2015 in Brussels.