Coal subsidies to be dead end
19:14
The energy crisis makes any source of energy profitable – it is no different with Polish coal, which before the crisis was profitable, for example, in plants such as the Bogdanka mine. The crisis will make this coal even more necessary. Not only Poland – but Germany and the Netherlands are returning to coal consumption. In the long term, we will need coal in the 20s because we have not built any or enough power plants of other kinds. We don't have enough renewables, we haven't built nuclear power so far – so the 20s will still be marked by coal. From this perspective, it is possible to invest in increasing mining – so that those power plants that remain in operation will be fueled as much as possible by coal from Poland.
"In times of energy crisis, various forms of social assistance are acceptable – while increasing demand for coal by subsidizing it is a dead end. We are dealing with a spiral of populism in energy policy. The ruling party promises subsidies for coal, while the opposition demands subsidies for any fuel – that is, for example, pellets and gas. In this way, the ruling party's proposal creates inflationary pressure – it will cost about PLN 11.5 billion, while the opposition trumps this offer at PLN 40 billion in subsidies for everything," Wojciech Jakóbik, editor-in-chief of BiznesAlert, said.
