Poland’s energy transformation in the context of the challenges of the European green deal

Abstract

One of the most important socio-economic challenges is the skilful transformation of the economy towards low and zero-emission energy sources. This transformation is ongoing, and Poland, due to its high dependence on coal and high emissions has a challenging task to perform. Hence, the article aims to indicate the activities undertaken by Poland as part of the energy transformation related to the European Green Deal and the impact of energy transformation on the Polish economy. Therefore, the issues discussed include: explaining the principles characterizing the European Green Deal programme, describing the current state of the Polish energy sector, indicating activities that will make Poland a zero-emissions nation, and highlighting the economic implications of this energy transformation at the national level. The analysis shows that the transformation of the domestic energy sector is a long-term, ongoing process. The share of green energy in the national mix is systematically, albeit slowly, growing, and energy sector emissions show a downward trend, although in the current difficult energy situation in Europe, this trend may slow down. Moreover, for systemic and financial reasons it is not possible to quickly replace energy production from coal with other low or zero-emission energy carriers. The study used a critical analysis of the literature and strategic documents on the energy sector, the institutional and legal method, the prognostic method, and inductive inference.