Poland cannot afford the sharp development of renewable energy sources. The introduction of renewable energy will be progressing in Poland in an evolutionary manner, said Minister of Energy Krzysztof Tchórzewski on the panel devoted to the Polish Energy Policy until 2040 (PEP2040) at the 11th European Energy Congress in Katowice.
– Poland is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. This increase is above the average of the European Union and OECD countries. Poland is the leader in the area of energy dependence, this index is 40 percent and is lower than in France, Germany or Spain. Attention to energy independence is demonstrated in critical moments and allows to ensure that we do not run out of energy sources. Looking at the processes taking place in the domestic economy, we see that they are closely related, and they also affect the transformation of the energy sector – said Minister Tchórzewski.
He said that for over ten years, our energy sector is affected by climatic, political and business trends. – The ambitious climate and energy policy of the European Union until 2030 and the vision of a zero-emission economy by 2050 are a challenge for our sector. For us, a fair transformation is important, which will concern diversification of the energy mix and reduction of CO2 emissions. We cannot focus on unit elements, like moving away from coal. The changes must take place at such a pace as to ensure our energy security. Conventional sources will be modernized, thanks to what their emissivity will decrease and efficiency will increase – added the politician.
Tchórzewski announced that the increase in demand for electricity will be satisfied by low-emission sources, and the government wants to realize prices of 21 per cent of renewable energy sources by 2030. – We place special hopes on photovoltaics and offshore wind farms. The sphere of prosumer energy is developing dynamically in Poland. The increase in RES in the energy mix must proceed with the development of the reserve and transmission networks. Polish networks are not adapted to a sudden increase of RES. Polish society is also not prepared for bearing high costs, which are connected with this. The development of renewable energy in Germany is charged at a cost of 1,000 euros per household. Poland cannot afford it. The development of renewable energy will have to be evolutionary and we plan it anyway – announced the Minister of Energy.
Tchórzewski stipulated that Poland’s energy security depends on working on coal technologies to increase their efficiency. – You can see that we get very good results here, which transfer into a systematic reduction of emission in Poland. Energy transformation will be favored by the development of nuclear energy after 2030. We want to launch the first nuclear block by 2033. We will increase the share of gas in the energy sector, hence the expansion of the LNG terminal and the construction of the Baltic Pipe. The PEP 2040 consultations enjoyed quite a broad interest. Most of comments to PEP 2040 concerned specific issues, but there were also comments that we took seriously into account, for example about energy efficiency relations. Our electricity consumption may be lower than we originally assumed – he said.
Attempts to the closest auctions indicate that onshore wind energy will exist until 2040. Energy transformation requires investment in generation capacity, distribution networks, warehouses. This creates opportunities for development for Polish regions, enterprises and the entire economy. Following the PEP2040 we have prepared a Plan for Energy and Climate, which we presented to the European Commission. In 2019 auctions will be announced for 3.5 GW of new wind power, which means that 10 GW of these sources will be installed in the system. There are many indications that fears that we will not achieve the RES target are weakening and we will deal with this problem. We introduce comments to PEP2040, we will present an assessment of the impact on the environment. These are final works – said Minister Tchórzewski