Bełchatów Power Plant in Poland Faces Reservoir Algae Issue and Municipal Boundary Dispute

Residents near the Słok reservoir that supplies the Bełchatów Power Plant reported a sudden green discoloration of the water. A local resident, Adam, asked, "Woda ma zielony kolor. Nie wiem może to sinice?" PGE GiEK said the colour is typical of seasonal algal or cyanobacterial blooms caused by high temperatures, added that the phenomenon does not affect the reservoir’s technical function, and reminded that swimming has long been prohibited.

Separately, the Polish government’s 2022 administrative reform shifted more than 2,000 hectares of land containing the power plant from Gmina Kleszczów to neighboring Gmina Bełchatów. The change reduced Kleszczów’s tax income from the plant by about 70 million zł, though the municipality remains the country’s richest per‑capita. Bełchatów redirected the additional revenue to road, sewage, water‑supply upgrades and school renovations. Kleszczów’s wójt, Dariusz Michałek, declared, "Nie odpuszczamy tego tematu," and is pursuing legal avenues to reverse the border alteration, but a government petition to restore the former limits was rejected.