Energy in Poland

The NECP lays out the necessary policies and measures for Poland to meet its energy sector goals as established by EU directives.

[5] PEP2040 is a government plan for the Polish fuel and energy sector, which envisions expanding renewables capacity, building offshore wind farms, and commissioning a nuclear power plant.

[6] The plan was adopted in February 2021,[5] aiming to tackle climate change, energy security, and a just transition.

It is the largest brown coal power plant in the EU, and also the single biggest source of CO2 emissions in the region.

The largest portion of coal consumption was in electricity and heat generation, representing 75.6% of the total demand.

[25][26] Poland's 2040 energy plan (PEP2040) forecasts that the country will install up to 20 GW of land-based grid-connected wind power.

[27] However, a report from April 2024 highlights that Poland's integration of wind power into the national grid has encountered significant challenges.

For instance, due to favorable weather conditions leading to an electricity oversupply, wind farms with a capacity of about 1.9 gigawatts had to be shut down on a specific Sunday.

This incident underscores the complex challenges of managing intermittent energy sources within a grid that still relies significantly on coal.

With a current installed capacity of 10.1 gigawatts, Poland continues to navigate the intricacies of integrating a growing share of renewable energy into its power infrastructure.

[29] The main purpose of the Act is to set the framework for a dedicated subsidy scheme for offshore wind projects.

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.

The Polish Nuclear Power Programme (PNPP), launched in 2014 and updated in 2020, details these objectives, including safety, decommissioning, and waste management.