The investment boom currently gaining momentum in Poland’s energy sector has the potential to provide a strong developmental impulse for the entire national economy, according to experts from Baker McKenzie. The construction and manufacturing industries stand to gain the most from the energy transition. However, changes are necessary to improve the state’s regulatory stability and predictability for businesses.
According to Baker McKenzie experts, the unprecedented accumulation of systemic investments in the energy sector, as well as in industry, defense, and infrastructure, represents a massive development opportunity for Poland. At the same time, it will serve as a test of the state’s operational efficiency.
“Poland can become an energy security hub and a safe haven for global business,” believes Agnieszka Skorupińska, Partner heading the Sustainability and Energy Transition practice at the Warsaw office of Baker McKenzie. “At the moment, numerous regulatory changes are deterring investors and making life difficult for entrepreneurs. It is currently the Polish ‘raison d’état’ (national interest) for legislative bodies to act efficiently and above political divisions.”
Billions in Investments and New Opportunities
In the first three quarters of 2025, Polish energy groups invested a total of over PLN 19 billion, according to reports from PGE Group, Tauron, Enea, and Energa. Strategies for the next 10 years assume further investments reaching hundreds of billions of zlotys, mainly related to the energy transition, including renewable energy sources, gas, nuclear power, and energy storage. The industrial sector is also planning energy-related investments—businesses are seeking efficient, low-emission solutions by investing in photovoltaics and other energy generation methods.
“The energy transition is a chance to improve energy conditions in Poland, which can become an asset in the eyes of foreign investors choosing Poland as a location for manufacturing investments or data centers,” Skorupińska adds. “In both these areas, investors struggle with limitations on Western markets, which constitutes an opportunity for Central and Eastern Europe.”
Thanks to investments in the energy transition, numerous sectors can develop, including the construction industry. Demand for its services will be generated by the construction of the first nuclear power plant itself and the accompanying investments. The government program adopted in June 2023 foresees spending on accompanying investments in the range of PLN 4.7 billion. Implementation is scheduled for 2023–2029 and includes the construction of two railway sections, a national road, a marine off-loading facility (MOLF), and a 400 kV station, which is a key element of the transmission grid.
Baker McKenzie experts point out that a well-utilized energy transition will allow for building the competencies of the domestic workforce and enterprises. With the development of the Polish nuclear industry, the local sector will be able to compete on global markets.
Regulatory Stability over Tax Breaks
The experts emphasize that the countries with which Poland competes for foreign investment did not win with lower tax rates, but with greater regulatory certainty and stability, shorter investment processes, and greater openness from authorities—visible in “one-stop shop” policies, the centralization of approval processes, or even the creation of information websites in languages other than the local one.
“Poland is at an investment crossroads: cheap, skilled labor is no longer our country’s asset, and at the same time, we haven’t built an advantage in the category of innovation and advanced technologies,” says Weronika Achramowicz, Managing Partner at Baker McKenzie Poland and co-head of the Transactional Practice. “Additionally, our geopolitical location, which until recently was a competitive advantage, has changed in the eyes of foreign investors into a risk, compounding the growing problem of declining investment in relation to GDP, which Poland has struggled with for a decade.”
According to Baker McKenzie, it is also necessary to shorten the investment process. Poland could influence this by lobbying EU institutions to simplify and limit formal requirements. Moreover, the state lacks valuable, binding strategic documents regarding energy and climate that would give entrepreneurs a long-term view of state plans. The slowness of administrative processes, excessive formalism, and frequent changes in the law make life difficult for local companies and may deter foreign investors, potentially resulting in the loss of valuable, eco-friendly initiatives critical for the country’s future.
