Minister Kurtyka pointed out that the pursuit of a carbon-free economy is at the heart of the work at the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

The ministry’s priority – in spite of the economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – is to focus on ensuring the continuity and keeping up the pace of key renewable energy projects and investments, as well as efficient district heating or carbon-free construction. In 2030, every third MWh of energy will come from renewable sources, he noted.

He also added that to that end, the Ministry of Climate and Environment is working towards the development of both onshore and offshore wind energy. Ultimately, the potential of offshore is estimated at about 8-11 GW by 2040. In addition, Poland managed to achieve indisputable success is the intensive development of solar power. The PV support mechanisms, which were improved in 2019 resulted in a fourfold increase in installed capacity compared to 2018. Nuclear power is also to become a key element of the energy mix, which is envisioned to provide about 15% of the generation capacity in the national power grid. It will also be important to create conditions for the development of bridging technologies, namely gas sources, with high-efficiency cogeneration in particular. What is more, hydrogen is also important as an innovative solution, and Poland is the third biggest European producer of this fuel.

A just transition will provide new development opportunities for the regions and communities most affected by the changes. It also envisages creating new jobs and building new industries that will contribute to the transformation of the energy sector, concluded the Minister of Climate and Environment.