Poland’s voice during the PKEE Energy Day in Brussels (COVERAGE)

In September 2023, the Polish Electricity Association (PKEE) organized a PKEE Energy Day in Brussels. The goal was to present the point of view of Polish energy companies on the road to the energy transition. What challenges does the Polish energy industry face in this regard?

The PKEE Energy Day in Brussels was an opportunity to discuss the challenges of energy transition in individual countries. The participants included representatives of Polish energy companies, such as Tauron and Polska Grupa Energetyczna. Importantly for the Poles, the debate was joined by representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European energy sector.

“It is hard to imagine that Polish energy companies, no matter how big or small, could make their points of view be heard in Brussels. Hence the idea of the Polish Electricity Association was born. It enables the entire industry to express its positions on the European stage,” said Paweł Szczeszek, President of the Tauron Group and VP of PKEE.

“One needs to note that Poland’s energy industry differs from that in Belgium or France due to the type of fuel used in power plants. Poland has its own character and it should be loud about it. Here in Brussels, various legislative ideas are being developed, such as Fit for 55, so we should talk about the situation in Poland and about 1990, which is not a favorable base year from the perspective of our system,” added Paweł Szczeszek.

“The meetings in Brussels refresh the perspective, because it is always good to face a different opinion. The task of Polish energy companies is to come here, sound the alarm bells and point out all the difficulties that the energy transition brings. Poland faces unique challenges, not necessarily of its own volition. We did not choose the energy system, because at the time we were not completely free, and today it would be unfair to blame Poland for this energy backwardness. That is why we are in talks with representatives of the European Parliament to understand what bumps there are on the road to the transformation and to see how ambitious we are in this journey,” emphasized Patryk Demski, VP of the Tauron Group.

“We met here in Brussels with representatives of the European Parliament. We have no doubt what Poland’s energy mix should look like. We are trying to make our interlocutors aware that the atom is a necessary support for renewable energy sources. [ … ] It turns out that the approach to nuclear energy is not as unambiguous in Europe as it seems. We see tensions between Germany and the French, who are not exactly fighting to achieve climate goals, but to exert their economic dominance on Europe’s energy market. It is important to clearly show Poland’s point of view in all this,” said Wanda Buk, VP of the Polish Energy Group and a member of the PKEE Management Board.