What goes on in Poland on the 26th of April.
President Duda on the Three Seas Initiative, social agreement and cooperation with the USA
President Andrzej Duda’s speech was one of the longer ones during the Leaders Climate Summit, but it went unnoticed among the statements of other participants. He pointed to the role of the Three Seas Initiative in climate policy, recalled the achievements of COP24, which took place in Katowice, and also mentioned the social agreement according to which Poland is to abandon coal by 2049. – I consider it a great success of social dialogue in our country, as well as a great and ambitious plan for the future, considering that today the percentage of coal used for energy production in Poland is around 70 percent. That is why Poland will build a sustainable and low-emission energy mix based on nuclear and renewable energy, as well as gas. Without the use of all technologies, the transition of our energy system will simply not be possible – said President Duda.
– The Polish-American agreement on the development of the Polish nuclear energy program of October 2020 confirms our ambitions. It highlights the importance of international cooperation in the field of energy and climate policy. We should coordinate our R&D efforts internationally to create a critical mass of innovative and affordable technologies. We should also consider how central banks can support the energy transition in line with the principle of technological neutrality. Climate-friendly transition is also a great opportunity for citizens and all sectors of our economy. That is why in Poland we focused on electromobility in both public and individual transport. This is a great opportunity for industrial development and new jobs – said Andrzej Duda.
Kurtyka: We still have over a year to work out an agreement with the US on the nuclear program
– We still have 16 of the 18 months that have been included in the contract to work out an agreement with the US in the area of technology and financing of nuclear energy – said Michał Kurtyka, Minister of Climate and Environment. Negotiations with the Americans are conducted, inter alia, by the government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, Piotr Naimski. An intergovernmental agreement on cooperation for the development of the nuclear energy program and the civil nuclear industry in Poland, negotiated and signed by the US Plenipotentiary and Secretary of Energy came into force in February this year. According to it, representatives of both governments, along with American financial institutions, will prepare proposals for the financing structure of the nuclear power program. The final conceptual and executive report will form the basis for the Polish government to decide on the choice of technology and a strategic partner in the implementation of the 20-year nuclear power plant construction program. Poland is also negotiating its nuclear program with France and South Korea.