„The investment needs for the energy transition are enormous. For the entire transformation, Poland needs more than one trillion zlotys,” says Wojciech Dąbrowski, president of Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) in an interview for the portal WNP.PL.
„The energy transition is a fact, we will not run away from it. This is the reality of the EU, and this is the direction in which changes are taking place around the world. But I have always wanted it to take place in a fair way, adapted to our capabilities and taking into account social conditions,” said Wojciech Dąbrowski.
According to the president of PGE, the transformation of the energy sector is not a one-term project, as investments in the energy sector are capital-intensive and time-consuming. According to Dąbrowski, the decisions that the company makes now can materialize only after a dozen years.
„In Poland mining and energy are closely related. One cannot exist without the other. Our relationship with the mining industry is good. On December 13 of this year, we concluded a five-year agreement with the Polish Mining Group. We negotiated a market price. In total, the value of the contract for today is estimated at 13.5 billion zlotys,” Dąbrowski told WNP.PL in response o a question about the relationship between the energy industry and mining.
When asked about his biggest failure, Dąbrowski pointed to the fact that the National Energy Security Agency (NABE) has not been established. „Certainly the lack of a complete closure of the separation of coal assets is the element that is missing. All interested companies and parties were prepared, we signed an agreement with the social side, which is a huge achievement. I hope that this will happen in the new term of the Sejm,” he said.
The president of PGE stressed that the last four years have been a difficult period for the energy industry, but despite this, it was possible to achieve greater financial stability of the company, which is still ready to separate coal assets under NABE.
According to Dąbrowski, national energy companies have been taking steps for several years to change Poland’s energy mix by gradually replacing coal-based energy with CO2-free renewable energy and nuclear energy. He pointed out that the investment needs are huge, and Poland needs more than one trillion zlotys for the entire transformation.
Summary by Jacek Perzyński