The Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted a reorientation of energy policy in EU countries, including Poland. Like most Member States, Poland has diversified its fossil fuel suppliers in order to become independent from Russian import. However, unlike many other EU countries, the Polish government has not taken measures to promote energy conservation through policy (such as lowering temperatures in public buildings). Furthermore, Poland has one of the lowest shares of RES in final energy consumption and is not taking adequate measures to make up for its delay. While many Member States have taken measures to accelerate the development of renewables as a result of the Russian invasion, Poland still has not liberalised the 10H rule, which is currently the largest barrier to RES development in the country.
Poland is one of the slowest decarbonising countries and has one of the most carbon-intensive economies (in relation to GDP). It also ranks second in the EU in terms of the emissions intensity of electricity generation, producing around 70% of its electricity from coal-fired plants. Therefore, conventional generation units must be replaced, but also additional sources need to be built to meet the increasing demand for electricity.
Countries face the challenge of building a stable, resilient system that responds to the characteristics of renewable sources, while ensuring that the transition is economic and equitable. The evolution of the system should be based on three pillars: ensuring adequate energy supply, system flexibility, and decentralisation.
Poland lacks a clear political signal for committing to the green transition. An ambitious strategy, but with an appropriate system for monitoring & evaluating the progress of its implementation, could make for a significant improvement. Updating key strategic documents, such as the Polish Energy Policy 2040 (PEP2040) and the National Energy and Climate Plan 2021- 2030 (NECP), should reflect an ambitious but realistic decarbonisation pathway for the electricity sector, with outlined supporting and monitoring policies and measures.
It is essential that energy transition policies take into account the protection of vulnerable groups from the negative impacts of air pollution, climate change, as well as the transition support initiatives themselves. These measures should include redistribution to minimise their negative impact on the lowest income households.
Authors: Krzysztof Kobyłka, Marianna Sobkiewicz, Wojciech Lewandowski
