Poland's Energy Policy Plan 2040 detached from reality: report
22:45
Poland's Energy Policy 2040 called PEP 2040 was criticized by the German think tank Ember. First of all, we are moving away from coal too slowly.
Poland alone, with its emissions over the next 10 years, can contribute to the failure of the EU climate target for 2030. It assumes that the community will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent. For this to succeed, coal-based electricity production across Europe must drop to 55 TWh. However, according to the plans included in PEP 2040, Poland itself will produce 75 TWh from coal.
Poland also has a plan B up its sleeve when the cost of emission allowance prices is low. Then we want to produce even 113 TWh from coal. Meanwhile, the reductions expected by the EU are achievable – points out Ember and refers to the models of the Polish Energy Forum. They show that even without nuclear energy it is possible to reduce electricity production from coal to 54 TWh.
Moreover, Poland plans the largest increase in natural gas consumption in the entire EU. And it probably doesn't make sense.
In 2019, gas generated as much as 14 TWh. In 2030, it is supposed to be 54 TWh. Poland's earlier plans assumed an increase in the gas generation to only 21 TWh. If this current plan were to be implemented, Poland would become the third-largest gas energy producer in the EU by 2030. This, according to Ember, is "quite remarkable for a country that does not have significant natural gas resources."
Besides, PEP 2040 lacks an alternative to nuclear energy. If the government failed to implement the PEP scenario, which assumes that from 2033 nuclear energy will flow in Poland from our power plant, then we do not have a plan B.
This gives cause for concern because, as Ember points out, "the history of nuclear projects in Poland is rather daunting, and so far not even a site has been selected for this project."
