Updates to renewable energy development from the Polish Government

Hive joined the Polish renewables market in 2022 with the appointment of Country Manager, Artur. So far, Artur has been working on building a clean energy pipeline in the country, which we hope to share more about soon.

In recent months, Poland has introduced a new strategy to develop its renewable output. The main drivers of the current strategic changes to the Polish RES are rising electricity prices, Russia’s attack on Ukraine (which highlights the need to become independent from the Russian gas pipeline), and improvements to protect the climate.

The fundamental role of RES is evidenced by the addition of the fourth pillar on energy sovereignty to Poland’s Energy Policy until 2040. The implementation of the main goal of state policy will bolster benefits for the economy, as well as reducing the environmental impact of the energy sector. Find out more below.

HISTORY OF RENEWABLES IN POLAND

Poland is currently running on around 77% coal power, falling behind other areas in Europe. The Polish Government have recently laid out plans to reduce that figure to 8% by 2040. 

The Polish Energy Policy has been previously postponed due to on-going disputes. The previous strategy, adopted in 2021, was considered outdated from inception as there was an underestimation for PV development. However, with on going global crisis’, such as the Russian war against Ukraine, the need for a future-proof road map for Poland’s energy, particularly RES, has been enhanced.

“The energy crisis caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine meant that Poland had to revise its existing plans in terms of the road map for the ongoing energy transformation,” said Ireneusz Zyska, Secretary of State, Ministry of Climate, Government Plenipotentiary for RES.

“Gas was supposed to be a link to a new model of the energy system based on RES and nuclear energy. The war in Ukraine will limit the role of gas to the necessary minimum. The demand for gas in the economy will continue to grow, but we want this increased demand to be met by domestic biomethane production. The priority is to ensure a stable energy supply, with the largest possible share of renewable energy, at a competitive price for industry and households. Poland will develop RES and nuclear energy while using existing capacities in the conventional energy sector, especially modernized flexible Block 200+ units, and pumped-storage power plants.”

“In the face of the energy crisis caused by Russia, it is crucial to strengthen energy security through energy production based on its own generation sources,” continued Mr Zyska.

Poland has already began initiating change. In recent years the Government has been consistently developing the renewable energy sector. Between 2015-2022 the installed capacity of RES increased from around 7 GW to over 22 GW, more than tripling capacity. The expectation is that clean energy capacity will reach around 28 GW by 2025, with installed capacity exceeding 50 GW by the end of the decade.

UPDATED PLANS FOR RENEWABLES FROM THE POLISH GOVERNMENT

The Polish Government has recently announced a new plan to significantly increase clean energy in the country. It has set a goal to transition almost entirely away from coal by 2040. The aim is to use the next 17 years to adopt renewables, predominantly wind and sun, on a vast scale to limit coal to marginal use.

The plans, titled Polish Energy Policy, expect to entirely restructure Poland’s energy landscape has had a budget of over PLN 726 billion, with 86% of that money going to zero-emission investments – primarily nuclear, wind, and photovoltaic power generation.

In the next seven years, Poland aims to source around 47% of its power from wind and solar, compared to around 17% achieved in 2022.

The graphic below demonstrates the power production expected in line with the energy strategy implemented by the Polish Government as well as expenditure for the upcoming development.