„There are ongoing discussions on regulations including the revision of the capacity market in Poland and the strategy for German power plants. We need solutions that complement the rapid development of RES with certain available capacities that provide energy regardless of the weather,” says Maciej Jakubik from the Energy Forum in an interview with BiznesAlert.pl.
- Poland and Germany face similar challenges – Jakubik noted when asked about the similarities in the energy sector of the two countries.
- The Germans held a dialogue, they had the so-called coal commission and set a deadline for the exclusion of this type of generation sources. It is worth drawing on their experience in planning such changes in constant communication with society – says the expert from the Energy Forum.
- Poland’s challenges are much greater than Germany’s because of the higher share of coal power in our country. Germany has been pursuing a strategy to move away from coal for years. It also invests heavily in hydrogen and biomethane. They probably see the future of the European energy market differently-adds the expert.
BiznesAlert.pl: We are talking on the occasion of another edition of the Polish-German Energy Transformation Platform. What can connect our countries energy-wise?
Maciej Jakubik: Poland and Germany face similar challenges. Our energy sectors are big. Germany’s is twice as big. Both countries have a large industry, and energy prices are therefore of great importance in the economy. There is space to look for solutions that work on both sides of the Oder.
Like what?
For example, the process of shutting down coal-fired power plants and their further role in the system. The Germans held a dialogue, they had the so-called coal commission and set a deadline for the exclusion of this type of generation sources. It is worth drawing on their experience in planning such changes in constant communication with society. It is important that this process is based on good analyses of network security, economic efficiency and social justice. There are ongoing discussions on regulations such as the review of the capacity market in Poland or the strategy of power plants in Germany. We need solutions that complement the rapid development of RES with certain available capacities that provide energy regardless of the weather.
Will accelerated climate policy in the European Union remain a contentious issue?
Poland’s challenges are much greater than Germany’s because of the higher share of coal power in our country. Germany has been pursuing a strategy to move away from coal for years. It also invests heavily in hydrogen and biomethane. Perhaps Germans see the future of the European energy market differently. They want to be a single price zone with an external impact. Poles want to create smaller zones and local markets. Our approaches may differ here. The Polish approach assumes that electricity should be primarily generated domestically, so as not to depend on imports, so the ideas of new interconnectors to Germany are not popular here. The availability of imports provides less incentive to invest in new generation capacity, although it is good for the economy as a whole from the point of view of price equalization.
Can a green business like a nascent renewable hub in Szczecin connect us?
Poland is a growing RES market. We want to have huge production capacity in the Baltic Sea, and Germany does not have such ambitious plans in this area. This could be an opportunity to discuss centers for production or servicing of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea, or even the construction of a joint wind farm, which could be implemented after 2030. Our economies are increasingly interconnected and we are bound by supply chains. Nothing stands in the way of renewable technologies needed for the energy transition becoming a field of deeper cooperation and joint business ventures.
Interview by Wojciech Jakóbik