Polish Briefing: The law on the maximum price of gas has been adopted | Poles used 40 percent less gas in October

What goes on in Poland on the 5th of December.

The law on the maximum price of gas has been adopted

The maximum price for gas will apply from the next year. The newly adopted act assumes that the price will remain at around PLN 200/MWh. New regulations will come into force from 2023, and 424 deputies voted for them, no one abstained from voting. Distribution fees will also be frozen.

The new regulations will cover sensitive customers and customers who benefit from tariff protection. Therefore, this applies to households, communities, housing cooperatives or other entities specified in the legal act. It also includes entities providing services to the society, i.e. kindergartens, nurseries, nursing homes, schools and hospitals.

Poles used 40 percent less gas in October

Europe saves gas during a period of record prices. Warmer temperatures at the beginning of autumn helped, thanks to which consumption in Poland fell by 40 percent in October. Now, however, it is getting colder and Poles save less on heating.

The Ministry of Climate and Environment informed that gas consumption in Poland, amounting to 19 billion cubic meters in 2021, could fall by 17 percent in 2022 due to the energy crisis. This phenomenon resulting from the reduction of gas supply by Russian Gazprom, which caused record prices before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, caused the destruction of demand, i.e. a decrease in demand due to high prices.

Warmer temperatures in early fall helped. According to the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, September 2022 was on average several degrees warmer. At that time, Warsaw was warmer by 2.8 degrees than usual, and the Warmia region even by 3 degrees. Thanks to this, it was easier for Poles to save gas for heating purposes, which was accompanied by a decrease in production in the chemical sector recorded at the peak of gas prices.