Editorial: Polish energy insecurities

The current government's "surly-if-at-all" approach to relations with Russia and Germany is hardly improving matters on the diplomatic front, and the decision to go ahead with the Trans-Baltic pipeline project hasn't helped.

Debate over energy tends to get bogged down over fossil fuels, while alternative energy is frequently under-emphasized. The government does deserve some credit, though, as it recently freed up restrictions on bio-fuel production and a number of companies are now expanding their activities in this field. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development seems of a like mind - its Renewable Development Initiative (EBRD RDI) claims that biomass is one of the "most promising" sources of renewable energy for Poland.

Biomass fuels should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt, however. Current technologies for their production are often inefficient and the fuels themselves can be quite pollutive. Furthermore, as events in Mexico have recently shown, competition between bio-fuel- and foodstuff-producing companies for common agricultural products can drive up the price of the basic foods to socially unacceptable levels.

Government plans call for the share of renewable energies in total consumption to be around 10 percent by 2014. If it is to achieve this and, moreover, efficiently secure its energy needs, other alternative fuels need to be supported. Wind is one option and the ERBD RDI points out that "Poland also has some of the best documented wind resources in Central and Eastern Europe, with areas reaching up to 1,000 W/sqm in power density."

The EU, for its part, needs to encourage research into making other long-term alternatives more cost-efficient and its member states should focus on energy security as a bloc-wide issue, breaking Russia's strategy of negotiating with each member individually.