One of the European Union’s largest polluter's, a Polish power plant, is planning to do better for the environment. It plans to curb its emissions with funding from the EU.

It's the European Union's largest coal-fired power plant, but also its largest polluter.

The Belchatow plant in central Poland released nearly 31 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2008.

That's four million tons more than its set ceiling under EU guidelines.

What's more, Belchatow will see a big deficit in carbon dioxide emission permits in the coming years.

It will need to buy up to 20 million tons of permits by 2013 and will then need to make provision for a new facility which will use up to six million tons more coal.

But the plant's director is adamant the numbers sound worse than they really are.

[Jacek Kaczorowski, Director of Belchatow Plant]:
“Last year we bought around 15 thousand permits. We are continuing the purchases. But you need to remember that this is a five-year total."

But the future might not be all that hazy.

The European Commission wants to invest 180 million euros in Poland's first carbon capture and storage installation.

It will avoid huge costs in permits and will catch up to one third of the carbon dioxide emitted.

And once its coal reserves are depleted, in an estimated 25 years, Belchatow plans to go nuclear.

But environmental group Greenpeace says the changes are no good.

[Jacek Winiarski, Spokesperson for Greenpeace in Warsaw]:
“The idea to switch to atomic energy from coal energy means going from bad to worse. For years Greenpeace has been calling for Poland to turn away from atomic energy and coal and follow the whole civilized world in investing in renewable energy sources."

But despite the plant, Poland is fairing well compared to countries outside the EU.

It only contributes to just over one percent of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions compared to the U.S. and China which top 20 percent.