The hidden bill for coal

The public debate on subsidies to energy sector in Poland concentrates on the level of support to renewable sources. Most of all, it results from the transparency of the main renewable sources support mechanism – the system of green certificates. Its construction enables to easily track the level of support for each technology and for renewables as a whole.

Unlike the renewable energy sector, subsidies for the coal sector are indirect, difficult to distinguish, even though they are borne by the whole society. Two key forms of support are: subsidizing social insurance of mining workers paid by all taxpayers and ignoring the healthcare costs associated with harmful emissions from coal burning – these are the best examples of how this mechanism works.