The European Commission would issue a payment request for Poland to enable it to pay a penalty for the failure to close the Turow coal mine on the Czech border.

It failed to close the Turow coal mine in spite of Prague’s concerns that it drained groundwater, commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari said on Monday.

The European Court of Justice ruled earlier this fall that Poland must pay 500,000 euros (577,962 dollars) daily for ignoring a previous court ruling to cease Turow coal mine operation.

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Poland vowed to keep the mine open not to put the national energy security at risk.

“The commission will have to issue a payment request, which calls on Poland to pay the penalty that is due, but I don’t have any information when this will be done,’’ Ujvari said at a briefing.