One of the main problems presented by the new units is the health impact of coal combustion on the citizens of Silesia region and the city of Jaworzna. The investment area is characterised by bad air quality. On 21st November 2011, the European Commission sued Poland in the European Court of Justice for lack of progress in its implementation of the Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe (CAFE) Directive (2008/50/EC), which should have been implemented in Poland by the 11th of June 2010. The directive requires in particular that the PM10 (larger dust particles) level does not exceed 50 miligrams/m³ more than 35 times a year. However this PM10 level is breached with much higher frequency in many Polish metropolitan areas  including Jaworzno and Rybnik in the Silesia region.

Since then, the CAFE Directive has been transposed into Polish legislation, but actions to address bad air quality are few and do not adequately address the issue. On top of that, the construction of the new unit will not mean an automatic shutdown of the oldest and most polluting units in Jaworzno, thus adding to the pollution rather than leading to an improvement of the air quality in the region. Protests over poor air quality have already led to changes in regional legislation in the Malopolskie Voivoship (province) and its capital, Krakow, and similar protests have taken place in the nearby city of Rybnik.

The local health impacts from coal mining, transportation and combustion are also a significant concern, and communities living in proximity to these activities are experiencing adverse social impacts, such as loss of amenities, displacement, and loss of social capital as well as facing increased risks of respiratory disease, heart disease, and lung cancer. In addition, burning coal causes health related problems related to coal ash and air pollution. The plant also contributes to the region becoming ‘locked in' to coal-based energy production for the next 40-50 years, making the shift to a renewable energy based society all the more difficult.

Burning coal is one of the most polluting methods of energy production. It causes significant changes to air quality through emissions of toxic substances such as SO2, NOx, small and large dust particles (PM10 and PM2.5) and heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. Coal burning is also the largest single contributor to GHG emissions worldwide and thus has an impact on the climate of the region and the planet. Coal mining and coal combustion also cause serious water shortages and pollution both by modifying ground and subterranean water flows and sewage discharges that affect river and sea flora and fauna. One of the most serious secondary effects of pollution from coal combustion is ocean acidification and acid rains. The Silesia region and Jaworzno city itself are already struggling with chronically poor air conditions, and the new unit would do little to improve this situation.

A housing complex is currently located at the future construction site of the new unit. The residents from that complex were supposed to have been moved to a new location, but this process is still on-going. The date of the resettlement has already been moved a number of times, and people are still living on the future construction site. The wooded area around the housing estate has been already leveled, causing concern to the inhabitants of the complex.

Another important issue is that both the Polish constitution and European Union legislation guarantee the right to live in a clean environment, and the quality of the air that citizens breathe every day is part of that right. The local health impacts from coal mining, transportation and combustion are also a significant concern, and communities living in proximity to these activities experience adverse social impacts including displacement and loss of social capital, as well as facing increased risks of respiratory disease, heart disease, and lung cancer.

The full costs of energy generated from coal are not fully accounted for. For example, a series of subsidies are still provided to the coal sector in Poland, at both local and national levels.