Energy industry voices criticism of EC’s climate policy at Economic Forum in Krynica

The effects of the 2020 climate and energy package put forward by the European Commission may be damaging to Poland’s competitiveness, according to experts from consultancy Deloitte and industry leaders. “High transformation costs hit Poland’s competitive advantages such as cost advantage in coal-based energy and energy-intensive industries,” said Wojciech Hann, partner at Deloitte, at the XXIV Economic Forum in Krynica. The package imposes a reduction of greenhouse gases by 40 percent and increasing the share of renewable energy sources to 27 percent. Energy industry leaders from the CEE region were also critical of the package. “Climate policy that does not contribute to economic growth is not a win-win policy. The goals of the climate policy are rational, but they cannot be implemented without regard for circumstances. The EU must adjust its requirements to all countries, not only the richest ones,” said Bolesław Jankowski, vice-president of industry research firm EnergySys. Robert Stelmaszczyk, CEO of RWE Stoen Operator said that there is a range of sensible applications of the climate policy, including the smart metering system and the advancements in wind energy and photovoltaics. “What poses a threat is the over-regulation of the market,” he added. “The frequent regulatory changes and uncertainty introduced by the climate policy is the reason why energy has become unattractive to private investors – uninvestable,” said Jiri Feist, director for Strategy EP Energy, the second-largest electric producer in the Czech Republik.