Poland’s energy dependence at the turn of the 21st century

Abstract

The following article is an attempt to assess Poland's energy independence in the years 1993-2020. The main aim of the paper is to present Poland's dependence on raw materials from foreign partners - in the field of imports of electricity, natural gas, crude oil, non-renewable energy resources, i.e., hard coal and lignite, and the country's dynamics in the amount of imports. In addition, the aim of the work is to answer research questions pertaining to the level of Poland's energy dependence on foreign sources, countries from which Poland imported energy or energy resources, the structure of imports, as well as the country's energy balance in the period under study. The research methods used in the paper include a descriptive research method, an analysis of Eurostat data as well as the literature review in the field of the subject study. The main results posit that, in the analyzed period, Poland was highly dependent on foreign energy sources, especially in the field of gas and crude oil. What is more, between 1993-2020, a growing diversification of energy resources sources was noted.