The National Agency for Energy Security (NABE), which is to include the assets of energy groups around PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna was supposed to be established by the end of March 2023. According to Business Insider, the establishment of NABE will be delayed again, but the fight for the chairman’s seat is already underway, in which Sebastian Gola, the former chairman of the New Jaworzno Tauron Group, has the best chance of winning.
The Ministry of State Assets announced that the NABE will be established by the end of March 2023. Business Insider Polska reports that this is not possible, because the fight for presidency over this company is currently underway. According to the website, “this battle is currently being won by the Law and Justice faction centered around MP Małgorzata Janowska, who has been calling the shots in Bełchatów for years.”
„We have learned that inside Law and Justice there was a fight over which of the candidates would gain political support. Interestingly, the parent company, the management board of Polska Grupa Energetyczna headed by Wojciech Dąbrowski, has had little to say about who will be the CEO of PGE GiEK. In Bełchatów, the local MP Małgorzata Janowska has been calling the shots for years. According to Business Insider sources, she will have the final say this time, because the faction centered around Janowska won this clash not only with the President of PGE, but also with the head of the State Asset Ministry Jacek Sasin. Our informants indicate that Sebastian Gola, previously associated with the Tauron group, currently has the best chances for the position of CEO,” reports Business Insider Polska.
In the past, Sebastian Gola was the President of Nowe Jaworzno Grupa Tauron, the company managing the new unit at the Jaworzno Power Plant, which in recent months has faced failure after failure and is the main point of contention with Rafako.
There are many indications that the birth of NABE will once again be postponed “until later”. According to Business Insider, this will happen at the end of April 2023 at the earliest. „[…] The process of the State Treasury taking over all coal-fired power plants from a few companies and „putting” them in NABE is very complicated. So far, most of the discussions have focused on the valuation of the acquired assets and the issue of transferring to NABE the debts of corporations related to the construction of coal blocks. In these cases, conflict is brewing between the Ministry of State Assets, energy companies and banks financing the energy sector. Much will also depend on the final settlement of the dispute between Tauron and Rafako, because it will affect the valuation of the block in Jaworzno,” the portal has reported.
The NABE is to be a holding company, which will be established around PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna. It is intended to include coal assets separated from four energy companies under the control of the State Treasury: PGE, Tauron, Enea and Energa. The goal is to ensure security of power supply, and to let these companies grow without problems with financing, which might be at risk if they keep coal in their portfolio.
Business Insider Poland/Jedrzej Stachura