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For the first time in June, Poland was a key moment in the country’s efforts to generate more electricity from renewables than coal, and reduce its dependence on the most polluted fossil fuels.
This shift is accelerating efforts by Prime Minister Donald Tass’s government to diversify Poland’s energy production, and despite recent advances, it is the leading producer of coal, the EU’s most coal-dependent country, producing roughly 60% of the electricity from fossil fuels in 2024.
Last month, renewable energy sources accounted for 44.1% of Poland’s electricity mix, slightly outpaced coal, dropping to 43.7%. Natural gas made up the rest.
The latest data represents “a major change in Poland,” says Tobias Adamzewski, vice-president of Forum Energy, who said that renewables continue to outperform coal-fired power plants’ production, could cause a “real snowman effect.”
It was also the first time coal contributed less than half its total power output over the quarter, falling from 56.4% in the second quarter to 46.2% from 56.4% in the same period last year.
The Tusk administration supports a variety of projects, including offshore wind farms and the country’s first nuclear power plant. It was built by US groups Westinghouse and Bechtel and is scheduled to begin operations in 2036.
This week, the Prime Minister also approved a 1.08 billion Zlotys ($3 billion) investment to build a 5,000km high voltage transmission line over the next decade. The funds were drawn from the EU Pandemic Recovery Fund, which was announced after the Combined Task’s Parent Coalition came to power in late 2023, and ended its eight years of control by the Nationalist Law and Justice (PIS) Party. Brussels had frozen Poland’s EU funds following its feud with the PI over the rule of law.
Most of Poland’s renewable energy momentum comes from wind and solar power. Today, the country boasts 23 gigawatts of installed solar capacity more than three times the target set for 2030 in 2021. This included expanding a grant programme for households to install rooftop panels in response to the energy crisis following the full-scale invasion of Russia’s Ukraine.
However, according to environmental activists, the growth of the solar sector also exposes bottlenecks in Poland’s outdated grid and energy storage infrastructure, due to the benefits of Poland’s outdated grid and energy storage infrastructure.
“This quarter has been a real breakthrough for renewables,” said Marek Josephiak, a spokesman for Greenpeace Poland. “But our energy systems can’t absorb that, and we waste record amounts of renewable energy.
“We are finally on the right path, but progress may be faster if politicians end policies that are primarily designed to better plan things and appease coal unions.”
While several offshore wind farms are scheduled to be built along Poland’s Baltic coast, onshore wind energy continues to face political resistance and regulatory uncertainty.
In June, the Polish Parliament House, or SEJM, passed legislation to reverse the PIS-ERA policy and facilitate restrictions on the proximity of wind farms to residential areas.
But Piss’ ally President Andrze Duda criticized the government for linking wind reform to an extension of the household electricity price cap and accusing them of pressured them to sign a bill quickly tracked to approve it.
Doda’s successor, Karol Nowrocky, who supported shore wind opposition during the election campaign, is expected to remain skeptical of wind farms when he takes office next month.
