Dispatch from Poland | September '24
***Our weekly Dispatches provide an overview of the most relevant recent and upcoming developments for the shift to climate neutrality in selected European countries, from policy and diplomacy to society and industry. For a bird's-eye view of the country's climate-friendly transition, read the respective 'Guide to'.***
Stories to watch in the weeks ahead
Stories to watch in the weeks ahead
- NECP to be finalised – Poland “hopes” to finalise its National Energy and Climate Plan by the end of the year. Months after publishing and sending to Brussels half of the plan, the government is about to subject the whole document to public consultation with an „ambitious” WAM (with additional measures) scenario. Its 56 percent renewable electricity generation target by 2030 “is not great, not terrible,” transition expert Michał Hetmański said. Still, expect pushback from miners in the public consultation, as coal use would drop sharply in the next decade, according to the draft NECP.
- Climate and energy legislation in the pipeline – At least that’s what the climate ministry keeps saying... In the coming weeks and months, we should see a public consultation and work in parliament on a number of bills: hydrogen law, net-billing system for micro-PV, clean air zones and permitting rules for renewables. Most anticipated of these is the permitting rules for wind farms (shortening the minimum distance from residential premises), which is to be expected „soon,” according to a deputy minister. (Earlier this year, the target date was June).
- Poland to take up the EU Council presidency – The government is finalising its list of priorities for its upcoming presidency of the EU Council, and we should learn more about these in the coming weeks. Grid development and security will be among its priorities in the field of energy, Polityka Insight reported. A civil society advisory council for the presidency has also been created in the prime minister’s office, with a significant presence of NGOs active in the fields of climate and energy.
The latest from Poland – last month in recap
The latest from Poland – last month in recap
- Extreme weather and floods – Climate change has likely impacted parts of Poland this summer with heavy floods brought by Storm Boris. This weather event was harsher than those experienced in previous years due to both human-driven climate change and natural variability, climameter.org attribution study said. Responding to the worst flood in at least a decade, the government declared a state of emergency and appealed to the European Union for help. Earlier, flash floods occurred in Warsaw and Zamość after two months’ worth of rain fell in a single day. In early September, the country experienced drought conditions, with the level of Poland’s longest river Wisła (Vistula) falling to a record low.
- Nuclear progress – Poland has set aside 4.6 billion PLN (1.1 billion euros) in its 2025 budget for preparatory work on its first nuclear power plant. The financing model for the 3,750 megawatt (MW) plant on the Baltic coast has yet to be finalised, but the government is already working on a 60 billion PLN (14 billion euros) financing bill. It is also applying to the European Commission for approval, as any state aid has to comply with EU rules on fair competition. The 60 billion euros (30 percent of the total investment) will come from the state budget or from treasury securities, and the remaining 70 percent should be private, mostly foreign, capital.
- “F**k the green deal,” coal miners and power plant workers chanted during their protest in Warsaw on 10 September. Around 1,000 workersfrom a single company turned out for what was already the second such protest this summer. The official slogan was, however, “Nothing about us without us.” The unions demand information on any planned mine closures and want to be involved in the decision-making process for the separation of coal assets from state energy companies (something that the previous government deemed necessary but failed to actually implement). That process, however, is unlikely to commence next year, as no funds have been set aside for it in the draft budget.
- Poland leading in battery recycling. Polish company Elemental has opened one of the first large-scale lithium-ion battery recycling plants in Europe in Zawiercie in the country’s south. It has its own PV plant and energy storage facility, and it aims to become energy independent and run completely on renewables.
Patryk’s picks – highlights from upcoming events and top reads
Patryk’s picks – highlights from upcoming events and top reads
- “The biggest risks to Poland’s energy transition are disinformation, polarisation and lack of social acceptance” - read this interesting take from Joanna Pandera, head of the Energy Forum.
- “Clean steel made in Europe, in Poland too?” -- event hosted by the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU in Brussels on 24 September. .
- For the Polish view on the EU’s Green Deal and its main challenges, check this new report by Polityka Insight. According to the authors, Poland needs to increase private and public investments as EU funding will not be enough to manage the country’s transition. They highlight the implications for Poland’s energy system of the EU’s plan to reduce the bloc’s GHG emissions by 90 percent by 2040.
- Check out the Instrat Foundation's new database on industrial GHG emissions in Poland.
- The 2024 edition of the New Mobility Congress – focused on transition in transport sector – will be held on 24-26 September in Łódź, with panels on urban mobility, battery industry and hydrogen, among others.
- The PRECOP climate conference – which will analyse the outcomes of COP28 and will prepare participants for COP29 – will take place in Katowice on 2-3 October.
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