Polish Briefing: The fate of Polish energy strategy may depend on sustainable financing

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What goes on in Poland on the 9th of April.

The fate of Polish energy strategy may depend on sustainable financing

The European Commission consults the assumptions of sustainable financing under the European Green Deal. The future of the Polish energy strategy may depend on the shape of this solution.

Consultations on the assumptions of sustainable financing in the European Union have started. EU citizens, organizations and companies are invited by the European Commission to comment on a new strategy that is to promote sustainable and therefore environmentally friendly investments.

Building sustainable funding is part of the European Green Deal plan proposed by the Commission. The goal is to define investment support criteria from the point of view of their impact on the environment. Those that will have a positive impact, and thus not lead to increased emissions and support decarbonisation, will be able to obtain support more easily, while those that will harm climate goals – on the contrary.

What does Poland say?

According to BiznesAlert.pl, Poland’s position in this matter assumes that investments in fossil fuels should be supported, given that they support the long-term goal of decarbonisation, for example new gas power plant and gas pipeline projects that will help Poland reduce CO2 emissions. Critics of this approach argue that such assets will attach the energy sector to fossil fuels for longer, and there should be a leap to Renewable Energy Sources. The counterargument is the fact that renewable sources still need protection in the form of conventional sources, for example the Polish offshore wind energy sector is to be secured by new gas power plants. This solution was included in the draft Polish Energy Policy until 2040, called the energy strategy.

First LNG truck loading operation performed by PGNiG in Lithuania

Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNiG) has sold the first two LNG cargoes from the reloading station in Klaipėda. Since April 1st 2020, the Company has been the sole user of the station, located at the entrance to the Klaipėda port.

– Despite the challenging market conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, it took us only a week to launch our operations in Klaipėda. On the one hand this attests to our capabilities in small-scale LNG, while also confirming that the LNG markets in Lithuania and the other Baltic countries have considerable potential – said Jerzy Kwieciński, President of the PGNiG Management Board.