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The Polish energy sector is the sixth largest in Europe. The scale of energy consumption in 1996–2015 increased from 139,593 GWh to 161,438 GWh. According to the data of Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE), electricity production in October 2020 amounted to 13,553 GWh; domestic consumption amounted to 14,798 GWh. The Polish
energy mix The energy mix is a group of different primary energy sources from which secondary energy for direct use - such as electricity - is produced. Energy mix refers to all direct uses of energy, such as transportation and housing, and should not be c ...
is dominated by hard coal – approx. 48% and lignite – 24%. When it comes to green energy, wind installations had the highest contribution of 9%. Other RES played a minor role, only 1%, but they are the ones that show the greatest growth dynamics. During the April
2022 Russia–European Union gas dispute The Russia–EU gas dispute flared up in March 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine in late February. Russia and the major EU countries clashed over the issue of payment for pipeline natural gas exported to Europe by Russia's Gazprom. In June, ...
, Russia cut off natural gas deliveries to Poland after demanding to be paid in
Russian ruble ''hum''; cv, тенкĕ ''tenke''; kv, шайт ''shayt''; Lak: къуруш ''k'urush''; Mari: теҥге ''tenge''; os, сом ''som''; tt-Cyrl, сум ''sum''; udm, манет ''manet''; sah, солкуобай ''solkuobay'' , name_ab ...
s during currency disruptions caused by the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...
.


Poland's 2040 energy plan

PEP2040 is a government plan for the Polish fuel and energy sector, which aims for 50% zero-emissions by 2040. It envisions building offshore wind farms and commissioning a nuclear power plant. The draft was presented in September 2020, aiming to tackle climate change, energy security, and a
just transition Just transition is a framework developed by the trade union movement to encompass a range of social interventions needed to secure workers' rights and livelihoods when economies are shifting to sustainable production, primarily combating climat ...
. Poland considers 6—9 GW of nuclear power. Some energy analysts said at the end of 2021 that "a credible coal phase-out discussion on a national level in Poland has yet to start".


Overview


Coal

In 2009 Poland produced 78
megatonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton (United States c ...
s (Mt) of hard coal and 57 Mt of
brown coal Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
. As of 2020, extraction is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive, and has become uncompetitive so reliant on government subsidies. In September 2020, the government and mining unions agreed a plan to phase out coal by 2049 which coincides with 100th anniversary of
Karol Wojtyła Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
being assigned to st. Florian's parish in Kraków.


Coal and the environment

Coal mining has far-reaching effects on local water resources. Coal mining requires large amounts of water. Mining activities have dropped the water level of Lake Ostrowskie by almost two meters in the
Kuyavia Kuyavia ( pl, Kujawy; german: Kujawien; la, Cuiavia), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three ...
Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
and the lakes in the Powidz Landscape Park. According to Poznań's University of Agriculture, the water drainage in the Kleczew brown coal mining areas has formed craters in the area. Statistics from Eurostat shows that Poland accounts for 30% of the European Union's annual consumption of coal.


Coal and the public

In April 2008, five thousand people demonstrated in
Kruszwica Kruszwica (german: Kruschwitz) is a town in central Poland and is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship (1975–1998). It has a population of 9,412 (2004). Initially founded in the 6th ...
to protect cultural heritage and the nature reserve at Lake
Gopło Gopło is a lake in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland, near the city of Gniezno. It gives its name to the protected area called Gopło Landscape Park. In early Middle Ages, the shores of Lake Gopło were home to a West Slavic ...
. This was the first protest of its kind in the country's history. Gopło Millennium Park (''Nadgoplański Park Tysiąclecia'') is protected by the European Union's
Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respecti ...
program and includes a major
bird sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. Pattrice Jones, co-founder of VINE Sanctuary defines an animal sanctuary as "a safe-enough place or relationship within the cont ...
. The Tomisławice
opencast mine Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow. This form of mining ...
(less than 10 kilometers away from the Kruszwica mine) was due to open in 2009.


Coal and business

The Bełchatów Power Station in the
Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of ca ...
region supplies almost 20% of Poland's energy. It is the largest brown coal power plant in Europe.


Electricity

In 2018 48% of electricity produced in Poland came from hard coal, 29% from
brown coal Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
, 13% from renewable sources (mostly wind power) and 7% from natural gas. In parts of 2020, electricity
cost In production, research, retail, and accounting, a cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce something or deliver a service, and hence is not available for use anymore. In business, the cost may be one of acquisition, in whic ...
s in Poland were the highest in Europe.


Renewable energy

A binding European Union resolution, the
Renewable Energy Directive 2009 The Renewable Energy Directive 20182018/2001 is a Directive in EU law that requires 32 percent of the energy consumed within the European Union to be renewable by 2030. This target is pooled among the member states. Background Before the 2009 ...
, stipulates a 15%
renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
target for total energy use in Poland by 2020. According to the Polish
National Renewable Energy Action Plan A National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) is a detailed report submitted by countries outlining commitments and initiatives to develop renewable energy that all member states of the European Union were obliged to notify to the European Comm ...
, the 2020 figure is set to exceed this target by 0.5% at 15.5% of overall energy use, broken down as 19.1% of total electricity consumption, 17% in the heating and cooling sector, and 10.1% in the transport sector. As of 2014–2015 renewable energy provided around 10% of total primary energy supply in Poland as well as around 13% of total electricity generation.


Progress towards targets

As of year end 2014 Poland had achieved an 11.45% share of renewable energy use as a percentage of overall energy usage. The overall 2014 share breaks down as 13.95% of the heating and cooling sector, 12.40% of the electricity sector and 5.67% of the transport sector.


Sources


Biomass and waste

As of 2015 Biomass and waste was the largest source of renewable energy in Poland providing an estimated 8.9% of total primary energy supply (TPES) in that year and an estimated 6.1% of electricity generation. In 2019 there were 1,142 MW installed capacity power. Solid biomass is the most important source by volume, providing fuel for heat and power plants or consumed directly for industrial or household heat requirements. Biogasses are also used in heat and power plants as well whilst waste is mainly used as a fuel in industry. In 2014 0.7 Mtoe of biofuels were used in transport, 81% as biodiesel and 19% as biogasoline, making up 5% of the total energy consumption in the transport sector in 2014.


Wind power

Wind power is estimated to have provided 6.6% of total electricity generation in 2015. The total
wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...
grid-connected capacity in Poland was 7666,3 MW as of 31 August 2022. The Polish NREAP plan is targeting 6,700 MW of wind power by 2020 whilst EWEA's 2009 forecast suggests a higher wind capacity of 10–12 GW is possible. The total capacity in Poland was 6,293.9 MW as of 1 October 2020. The Polish government had plans to reach 2,000 MW in
wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...
capacity and a 2.3% share of wind generation in domestic energy consumption by 2010. By the end of 2010, the capacity stood at 1,107 MW. If Poland had the same wind power density as
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, there would have been 23 GW of wind power by the end of 2008. Offshore Wind In September 2020, the government announced a 130 billion zloty (£26.5 billion) plan to invest in offshore wind. The “Offshore Wind Act” which is being prepared by the Government is expected to enter into force in 2020. The main purpose of the Act is to set the framework for a dedicated subsidy scheme for offshore wind projects. However, it also addresses other relevant issues pertaining to the development and operation of offshore projects. According to Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA), offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea with an overall capacity of 5.9 GW are set to "receive support under a two-sided contract for difference between the investor and the regulator. Awarding support under this formula will be time-limited until the end of June 2021." In a second phase, contracts are planned to be awarded by auctions. The first is to take place in 2025. The PWEA said that support will be available for projects with a total capacity of 2.5 GW in each of the auctions. By 2050, Poland wants a massive 28 GW in offshore sector, which would make Poland the largest operator of offshore wind in the Baltic Sea. On 1 July 2020 representatives of the Polish government and Polish wind energy industry signed a “Letter of Intent on cooperation for development of offshore wind power in Poland”. The letter acknowledges the role of offshore wind in meeting the European Union's Green Deal objectives while increasing the security of energy supply and reducing Poland's CO2 emissions. In its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) Poland identified offshore wind as one of key technologies to meet its goals for renewable energy for 2030. Offshore wind has also been described as strategic in the draft of Poland's Energy Policy until 2040. It will help diversifying the Polish national power generation structure that today heavily depends on coal.


Hydroelectric power

In 2014 there were 2,364 MW installed capacity of hydroelectric power as well as 1,406 MW
pumped storage Pumping may refer to: * The operation of a pump, for moving a liquid from one location to another **The use of a breast pump for extraction of milk * Pumping (audio), a creative misuse of dynamic range compression * Pumping (computer systems), ...
capacity. In 2015 hydroelectricity generated approximately 1.1% of total electricity in Poland. In 2019 there were 2,391 MW installed capacity of hydroelectric power.


Solar power

In 2019, the Polish government launched a scheme called "Mój Prąd", which is dedicated to supporting the development of prosumer energy, and specifically supporting the segment of photovoltaic (PV) micro-installations. The budget of the program is currently PLN 1.1 billion. As a result, in recent years there has been a significant increase in power in this segment of the energy sector. The total
solar photovoltaics Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...
(PV) grid-connected capacity in Poland was 11,477.87 MW as of 31 October 2022.


Air quality

The
PM10 Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The ...
warning limit is 300 μg/m3 in Poland, whereas it is 80 in Paris.


Global warming

Poland opposed the 2009 EU proposal to support developing countries in applying measures against
global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
, at a cost of 5-7 billion
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
during the years 2010–2012.


See also

* Oil industry in Poland *
Wind power in Poland Wind power is a growing source of electricity in Poland. In 2019, wind was the second most important source of electricity produced in Poland, after coal, accounting for about 10% of the electricity production. History From 2012 to 2014 the Now ...
* Solar power in Poland * Nuclear energy in Poland *
PGNiG Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo S.A. ( en: Polish Oil Mining and Gas Extraction S.A.), abbreviated to PGNiG, is a Polish state-controlled oil and gas company, headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. The company has branches and representative ...
– Polish state-controlled oil and natural gas company *
Renewable energy by country This is a list of renewable energy topics by country and territory. These links can be used to compare developments in renewable energy in different countries and territories and to help and encourage new writers to participate in writing about ...


References


External links


European Commission National Renewable Energy Action Plans

European Commission renewable energy Progress Reports

European Commission National Energy Efficiency Energy Action Plans

Report on the Polish power system (PDF 1.44 MB), February 2014
{{Renewable energy by country
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...