Energy security

• Derussification of the Polish energy sector. Consistent implementation of the strategy to diversify sources and move away from Russian hydrocarbons - Russian coal, oil and gas - to strengthen Poland's energy security. The war in Ukraine and Russia's use of raw material supplies as an element of blackmail only confirmed the Polish government's efforts to make Poland independent of the eastern source of supplies.
   
• Defending Turow - a symbol of Poland's energy sovereignty and the courage of the Polish government. The conclusion of the agreement with the Czech Republic was signed on 3 February 2022.
   
• 13 May 2022 - the termination of the agreement with Russia on the Yamal concerning the construction of gas pipeline systems for gas transit through Poland and the unprofitable supply of Russian gas for the Polish side. Thanks to these measures, the Russians no longer have influence over the Polish section of the Yamal, which Gaz-System operates.
   
• Completion of the Baltic Pipe investment project, which is crucial to Poland's energy security. The pipeline, which opened in September 2022, served to diversify gas supply sources to Poland and Denmark as well as other countries in the Baltic Sea region and Central and Eastern Europe. It also provided Poland with direct access to gas deposits located on the Norwegian Shelf.
   
• Completion of new bi-directional gas connections to Denmark, Lithuania and Slovakia. This makes it possible for Poland to receive and transport natural gas abroad. Planning new connections to the Czech Republic.
   
• Completion of the first phase of the expansion of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście. The gas port is strategically important for the Polish economy and energy security. The second stage will be completed in late 2023/2024.
   
• Adoption of the "Assumptions for updating Poland's energy policy until 2040" taking into account consistent technological diversification, diversification of the directions of supply of imported fuels and improvement of energy efficiency in order to strengthen the country's energy security.
   
• Adoption by the government of a historic document outlining a clear vision of the National Raw Materials Policy until 2050. This is a strategy for building an efficient and effective system for the management and stewardship of all types of minerals and mineral resources held by Poland.
   
• The launch of the Government's Energy and Solidarity Shield in 2022 made it possible to protect Polish families from the effects of the energy crisis caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine by, among other things, freezing the price of gas and electricity for households and vulnerable entities. Government support for Poles amounted to PLN 100 billion.
   
• Protecting small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, local government units and entities carrying out important public utility tasks such as kindergartens, schools or hospitals.
   
• In addition to the freezing of gas prices and distribution charges for gaseous fuels, which applies to all households regardless of their income, for the most vulnerable consumers who use gas to heat their homes, additional support will be guaranteed in the form of a refund of the VAT incurred on the supply of gaseous fuels.

Support programmes for citizens

• Changes to the Clean Air Programme have accelerated its implementation across Poland. Increase the level of funding and introduce pre-financing of investments for the poorest. This makes the number of applications in 2023 14%* higher than in the previous year. To date, 728,000 Polish families have benefited from the programme, realising eco-investments worth more than PLN 20 billion.

*ø The increment relates to the comparison of the entire year 2022 to the period January-October 2023. Ø In the corresponding comparison of January-October 2022 to January-October 2023, the increase was 33%.

• In response to growing public demand, the Clean Air Programme offer has been supplemented with the Warm Home programme, which is aimed at owners of multi-family houses and residents of public housing.
   
• Launch of a programme to de-concrete agglomerations of up to 50,000 inhabitants with a budget of PLN 140 million. Under the programme, cities will receive up to PLN 2 million for the creation of, among other things, water-permeable surfaces, parks and gardens and the construction of retention basins.
   
• Introduction of regulations and subsidy programmes to support the development of energy storage in Poland. In the 'My Electricity' Programme, 9,898 people opted to purchase energy storage in two calls for MP4 and MP5.
   
• Launch of the 4th and 5th editions of the 'My Electricity' Programme. Under the programme, beneficiaries can receive a non-refundable grant of up to PLN 58,000 due to the extension of the material scope of the programme to include further elements, i.e. heat pumps, energy storage and solar panels. So far, under the 5th edition (starting in 2019), PLN 3 billion has been allocated for over 577,000 applications.
   
• Introduction of legislation and subsidy programmes to support the development of energy storage in Poland.
   
• Recruitment for the next edition of the 'My Water' Programme, an initiative aimed at mitigating the effects of drought in Poland is also ongoing. Due to strong growing interest in the programme, the budget was increased by a further PLN 100 million in August 2023, totalling a record PLN 230 million for the programme in 2023.
   
• Developing the charging infrastructure for electric cars and hydrogen refuelling stations and allocating PLN 1.87 billion for investment in this area.
   
• Launch of the 'Rural Energy' Programme to develop renewable energy sources and biogas plants in rural areas. To date, 165 applications have been submitted in the call for proposals for the construction of 81 biogas plants, 2 micro-hydro plants, 2 for the construction of PV.
   
• Record support for volunteer fire brigades to purchase equipment and essential supplies. Funding for the purchase of 533 fire and rescue vehicles in 2022 and as many as 665 new vehicles in 2023. In addition, the purchase of 2 Black Hawk helicopters for the National Fire Service.

Hydrogen

• Development and adoption by the government of the Polish Hydrogen Strategy to 2030 with an Outlook until 2040 (PSW). The strategy highlights objectives for the deployment of hydrogen technologies in the power and heating sectors, the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel in transport, support for the decarbonisation of industry, the production of hydrogen in new facilities, the efficient and safe transmission, distribution and storage of hydrogen and the creation of a stable regulatory environment.
   
• Establishment of eight hydrogen valleys across the country. Thus, the objective of establishing five hydrogen valleys by 2030, as enshrined in the Polish Hydrogen Strategy to 2030 with an Outlook until 2040, has been realised. On 14 October 2021, 138 representatives of entities from the government, entrepreneurs, science and business environment sectors signed the Sectoral Agreement for the Development of the Hydrogen Economy in Poland. Poland was the first country in the European Union to conclude such an agreement.

Development of RES

• Signing cooperation agreements for the development of the photovoltaic, biogas and biomethane sectors.

• Consistent support for the development of RES in Poland. In 2022 alone, we have seen an unprecedented increase in installed renewable capacity of around 5.7 GW. In the seven months of 2023, RES growth exceeded 3 GW.
   
• In the last two years, the reference price for biogas, agricultural biogas, landfill biogas and sewage biogas has been raised to historic levels in 2022 by up to approximately 25%, which was increased by a further 11.9% by the decree of the Minister of Climate and Environment in 2023.
   
• For the first time, regulations have been created for the biomethane market (amendment to the RES Act of 17 August 2023), and a support system for biomethane has been established - the Minister of Climate and Environment published a decree on a biomethane reference price, which will enable the nascent biomethane market in Poland to take off and help reduce the operational burden on the nascent market.
   
• The Ministry of Climate and Environment, together with the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, has developed a revolutionary reform of the spatial planning system introduced through an amendment to the Act on Spatial Planning and Development enacted on 7 July 2023. Among other things, the process simplified procedures for the location of new investments in renewable energy sources.
   
• Introduction of regulations simplifying the preparation and realisation of investments in agricultural biogas plants, as well as their operation, which which provides several simplifications in the investment process for these plants (regarding connections, building permit decisions) and the rules for the production of biomethane from agricultural biogas and introducing changes in the operation of energy cooperatives.
   
• Launch of a biogas support programme implemented by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management:
  • 'Rural Energy.' The total budget of the programme is PLN 1 billion.  Both farmers and energy cooperatives - emerging and existing ones - as well as their members can apply for funding under the programme from January 2023. The support envisaged relates to investments such as biogas and hydroelectric power plants, photovoltaic installations, wind turbines and energy storage integrated with these sources.
  • 'Development of cogeneration based on municipal biogas'. The total budget of the programme is as much as PLN 1.5 billion. The programme aims to promote energy generation under conditions of high-efficiency cogeneration using municipal biogas.
• Investment in educating the public about the benefits of biogas fuel. The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management co-financed the campaign 'The value of biogas in the energy sector' with more than PLN 1.9 million. The project is implemented by the Institute of Environmental Protection and the Voivodeship Funds for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Białystok and Lublin.
   
• In terms of the tasks of the National Support Centre for Agriculture:
  • extension of the terms and conditions for agricultural biogas activities to include the possibility of producing biomethane from agricultural biogas,
  • extending the personal scope of the register of agricultural biogas producers to include producers of biomethane from agricultural biogas,
  • clarification of the definition and object of energy cooperatives, 
  • clarification of the terms and conditions of cooperation between the energy cooperative and the energy seller,
  • to facilitate billing and reporting rules for energy cooperatives.
     
• Introduction of regulations to enable the development of onshore wind energy. The new regulations will also ensure an appropriate level of control over the process by the municipal authorities and the local community, as well as an adequate level of safety in the operation of the wind turbines with full information about the planned investment for the residents of the municipalities where they will be located.
   
• The government's 'Poland's Energy Policy until 2040' has predicted that offshore wind power capacity will reach a value of approx. 5.9 GW in 2030, while it will reach a value of up to approximately 11 GW in 2040. Looking ahead to 2030, offshore wind farms will account for 13% of the electricity generated in Poland and 19% in 2040. The first offshore wind farms in the Polish exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea will start producing energy in 2026.
   
• Offshore wind farm projects will be developed in the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone of the Baltic Sea in the area designated in the Maritime Spatial Plan for Polish Sea Areas in the Słupsk Shoal, the Central Shoal and the Odra Shoal. More than 60% of investments in the offshore wind energy sector (only in the first phase of development) by 2030 will be made by State Treasury companies, primarily the PGE Group and the PKN ORLEN Group.
   
• At the turn of 2024 and 2025, Poland's first and one of Europe's most modern installation terminals for offshore wind farms will begin operations in the port of Świnoujście. The contract for the lease of the port land was signed in autumn 2022. According to the schedule, construction of the terminal will start later in 2023. The terminal will reach operational capacity in late 2024/early 2025.
   
• By the Act of 17 August 2023, amending the Renewable Energy Sources Act and certain other acts, the number and volume of capacity in auctions for offshore wind farms was increased. Of the previously assumed 5 GW (2.5 GW each in 2025 and 2027), we are planning auctions for as much as 12 GW:
  • 4 GW in 2025,
  • 4 GW in 2027,
  • 2 GW in 2029,
  • 2 GW in 2031.
• OFFSHORE WIND FARM PROJECTS WITH PSZW (location permit):

Phase I of the support system:

• MWF Bałtyk II sp. z o.o. - support granted for 720 MW capacity,
• MWF Bałtyk III sp. z o.o. - support granted for 720 MW capacity,
• Baltica-2 Wind Power Plant Sp. z o.o. - support granted for 1498 MW capacity,
• Baltica-3 Wind Power Plant Sp. z o.o. - support granted for 1045.5 MW capacity,
• Baltic Power Sp. z o.o. - support granted for 1197 MW capacity (the installed capacity - 1200 MW),
• Baltic Trade and Invest Sp. z o.o. (RWE) - support granted for 350 MW capacity,
• BC-Wind Polska Sp. z o.o. - support granted for 369.5 MW capacity (the installed capacity - 500 MW).

Phase II of the support scheme:

• Baltica-1 Wind Power Plant Sp. z o.o. - the installed capacity - 896 MW;
• MWF Bałtyk I S.A. - the installed capacity - 1560 MW;
• PGE Baltica 4 Sp. z o.o. - the installed capacity - 990 MW;
• Baltica 9 Wind Power Plant Sp. z o.o. - the installed capacity - 975 MW;
• Baltica 2 Wind Power Plant Sp. z o.o. - the installed capacity - 210 MW;
• Baltica 1 Wind Power Plant Sp. z o.o. - the installed capacity - 1,185 MW;
• Baltica 5 Wind Power Plant Sp. z o.o. - the installed capacity - 555 MW.
• Energa MFW 1 Sp. z o.o. - Area 14.E.1 - the installed capacity - 812 MW;
• Energa MFW 2 Sp. z o.o. - Area 14.E.2 - the installed capacity - 896 MW;
• Orlen Neptun III Sp. z o.o. - Area 14.E.3 - the installed capacity - 1204 MW

 

• Funding for 30 investments for drilling thermal water exploration and appraisal wells by local authorities across Poland. At the same time, a roadmap for geothermal development in Poland was prepared.
• Establish a legal framework to allow the sharing of a power connection by more than one RES installation, i.e. cable pooling.
   
• Cable pooling regulations will allow far-reaching optimisation of the necessary investments using existing connection capacities. The potential for new cable pooling capacity is estimated at 5-9 GW.
   
• Entities that conclude the agreement set out in the Act will be able to share connection capacity at a single grid connection point and independently conclude contracts for the sale of produced energy on the wholesale market. The connection conditions will be issued for all renewable energy source installations at a single connection point, and one grid connection contract and one electricity transmission or distribution contract will be concluded. The distribution or transmission network operator shall determine how to secure the technical capacity to not exceed the connection capacity. Adding a further RES installation to an existing installation will not result in losing the right to public support for the existing installation.
   
• In Poland, the first projects based on cable-pooling have already been implemented. In September this year, EDP Renewables announced that the existing 80 MW Pawlowo wind farm and the newly built PV Konary farm (the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship) would be connected to the grid using a single connection.
   
• On 28 July 2023, the Ministry of Climate and Environment reworked the amendments to the Energy Act and some other acts, which included new statutory solutions for the operation of the direct line. It is a solution aimed mainly at consumers, primarily those in the energy-intensive sector, who want to use RES.
   
• The current Energy Act contains some of the most liberal direct-line provisions in the European Union. The present form of the legislation is a compromise between the expectations of industry, in particular the energy-intensive sector, and the need to ensure the security of electricity supply to all consumers.
   
• The direct line provisions complement legislative changes to further develop RES in the Polish energy mix. These changes were made with the primacy of the safe operation of the electricity system in mind.

Nuclear energy

• Laying a solid foundation for the construction of Poland's first nuclear power plant.
   
  • On 22 September 2023, the General Directorate for Environmental Protection issued an environmental decision for a nuclear power plant in Pomerania. The decision was prepared and preceded, among other things, by an analysis of more than 19,000 pages of documentation and cross-border agreements with 14 countries.
  • The issuance of the environmental decision by the General Directorate for Environmental Protection was preceded by the submission of an environmental impact report (EIA Report) by Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) at the end of March 2022. This is the first comprehensive study of its kind in Poland prepared for a nuclear power plant.
  • The draft decision was reviewed by the Director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia, the Pomeranian Voivodeship Sanitary Inspector, the Director of the Regional Water Management Board in Gdańsk of the State Water Management Company Wody Polskie, the President of the State Atomic Energy Agency and the Minister of Climate and Environment.
  • On 27 September 2023, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) and the Westinghouse and Bechtel Consortium signed the engineering services contract to design Poland's first nuclear power plant.
  • Following the Polish government's decision to build Poland's first nuclear power plant based on US AP1000 reactor technology, and in the context of the strategic energy partnership between Poland and the United States - a Regional Clean Energy Training Centre will be established in Poland to support the development of personnel and competencies based on US-Polish cooperation in the development and implementation of advanced nuclear technologies.
  • On 11 July 2023, the Minister of Climate and Environment, at the request of Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), issued a fundamental decision, which formally confirmed that the investment in Poland's first nuclear power plant is in line with the public interest and the energy state.
  • In July 2023, the Minister of Climate and Environment also issued a decision in principle on the construction of a small nuclear power plant by KGHM.

Waste management

• Sealing the waste management system. Adoption of an act to amend certain acts to prevent environmental crime. Increased penalties for, among other things, illegal storage, disposal, treatment, recovery, neutralisation and transport of waste, as well as penalties for importing hazardous waste from abroad or exporting hazardous waste abroad - without the required notification or permit, or contrary to its conditions.
   
• According to these amendments, if the perpetrator is convicted of an intentional offence against the environment, the court will obligatorily award a surcharge of between PLN 10,000 and PLN 10 million to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. When the offence is committed unintentionally, a restitution of the aforementioned amount shall be ordered on an optional basis. Prior to 1 September 2022, there was no lower or upper limit on the amount of the punitive damages and, at the same time, it was optional in each case.
   
• Since 22 February 2022, the Electronic Transport Notification System (SENT) has covered the imports of waste into Poland and its transport through Poland's territory.
   
• Adding a new functionality in the government's mObywatel application for reporting environmental irregularities, including information about illegally deposited waste or irregularities noticed at waste management operators.
   
• Moreover, the so-called special Act on Large-Scale Degraded Areas was adopted in order to clean up hazardous waste accumulated in the distant past on the premises of industrial plants. As part of the Act, five large-scale degraded sites have been identified, and rules have been laid down for identifying other sites of this type.
   
• Submitting an application to the European Commission in July 2023 with a complaint about the passivity of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany regarding Germany's evasion of cleaning up more than 35,000 tonnes of waste that illegally entered Poland. In October 2023. The EC acknowledged Poland in its dispute with Germany.
   
• On 13 July 2023, the Act amending the Packaging and Packaging Waste Management Act was adopted, which introduces provisions on the operation of a deposit system for selected types of packaging. The system should be operational from 1 January 2025 and will cover single-use plastic bottles up to 3 litres, reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 litres and metal cans up to 1 litre.

Environmental protection

• Increasing subsidies for national parks by 45% for park employees' pay rises, implementing protective measures and maintaining modern infrastructure. In recent years, the annual subsidy for park operations has fluctuated between 86 and nearly PLN 136 million. Ten years ago, it was PLN 75.5 million. In 2023, 18 national parks have signed agreements with the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management for the modernisation, expansion and construction of fire protection systems. The total amount earmarked for this purpose by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management is more than PLN 52 million.
• The development of scientific reports on the situation on the Oder River, laboratory and field experiments to neutralise Prymnesium parvum and intelligent discharge management made it possible to stop a massive bloom of golden algae in 2023.
   
• Actions on the international and national forums have ensured that forestry and forest management remain the exclusive responsibility of individual EU Member States.
   
• Issuance of 669 regulations relating to Natura 2000 habitat areas.
   
• LIFE Programme co-financing support for more than 165,000 hectares of valuable natural habitats for PLN 113 million. In addition, state-of-the-art environmental education centres for local residents were modernised or built in 11 national parks for PLN 119 million.

Support for Ukraine

• Poland joined in helping Ukraine from the first days of the Russian invasion.
   
• The State Forests have provided fleeing Ukrainian citizens with accommodation and organised collections of goods and money. As part of the 'Backpack for Ukraine' campaign, foresters prepared tactical kits that included night vision equipment, specialised footwear, binoculars and provisions. They also donated cars and drones for foresters serving in the Ukrainian army.
   
• The Polish authorities, with the significant involvement of the energy sector (the Polish Power Transmission and Distribution Association acting as coordinator), collected equipment, which was successively transferred to Ukraine through the Government Strategic Reserves Agency.
   
• To initiate relief efforts in the EU by brokering EU-Ukraine contacts and encouraging Member States to assist Ukraine in the face of war.
   
• On the initiative of the Polish side, on 15 June 2022 in Paris, Ukraine was unanimously accepted as an associate state in the International Energy Agency. The association documents were signed in Warsaw on 19 July 2022.

Education

• 'Meet the Atomickis' is a widely run educational campaign by the Minister of Climate and Environment to speak honestly and factually about nuclear power. After the end of the first edition of the campaign, support for the construction of a Polish nuclear power plant was 88%.
   
• Education and information activities were carried out in the media on topics such as the Government Energy Shield, the energy transition, energy conservation, and biodiversity protection.
   
• Establishment of 640 state-of-the-art environmental science and RES classrooms in primary and secondary schools.
• Preparation of 41 lesson plans on climate and energy transition adapted for each age group of primary and secondary schools.

National parks

• The areas of 3 national parks were increased between 2016 and 2023:
  • as of 1 January 2016 – the Karkonosze National Park by 364.35 ha,
  • as of 1 January 2017 – the Poleski National Park by 112.56 ha,
  • as of 1 January 2022 – the Świętokrzyski National Park by 62 ha.