The uniqueness of the Polish energy mix stems from delayed occurrence of processes which have already taken place in Western Europe – according to a recently published report by WiseEuropa “New Foundations. The building blocks of energy security”.
Deep diversification of the energy mix and close international cooperation are key components, needed to ensure the country’s energy security – argue the authors of the publication – Aleksander Śniegocki and Zofia Wetmańska. In their opinion, building energy security mainly on the domestic coal supply does not take into account the ever decreasing efficiency of Polish mining sector. At the same time, decision makers do not address declining costs and greater opportunities for integration of renewable energy sources with the energy system – emphasized Aleksander Śniegocki. – The national energy policy is also apprehensive towards the progressive diversification of the directions of the natural gas supply, as well as towards the growing pressure to substantially reduce emissions from the European energy sector.
Authors of the report point out that the perception of energy security in developed countries has undergone significant changes over the last decades. – Initially, it was about ensuring safe and continuous supplies of energy carriers, but over time this approach has evolved and also dimensions related to the efficiency and the impact of energy sector on the environment were included – emphasizes Śniegocki. – In recent years, it has been a key aspect of the EU energy and climate policy, which is focused on integrating objectives of the European energy sector and RES development – he adds.
According to the research, the decision to undertake a gradual reconstruction of the energy mix would have a small direct impact on the economic success of the country, due to the limited share of the energy sector in GDP. – Long-term costs of abandoning or delaying transformation are much more important as they would negatively impact the competitiveness of the energy sector and the belated decision on changing the sector’s development model would require a rapid investment efforts – admits Aleksander Śniegocki.
The authors:
Aleksander Śniegocki Project Manager Energy and Climate
Aleksander Śniegocki
Zofia Wetmańska
