Poland has a clear path for moving away from coal, and this process is gradually being implemented. Coal’s declining share in the energy mix results both from the pursuit of climate neutrality and from the depletion of domestic resources. Experts emphasise that the decarbonisation of the energy sector is not easy, given the need to ensure system stability. Energy storage and distributed sources are expected to play an important role in this process.
“Poland’s energy transition undoubtedly still faces many challenges. The key one is finding a compromise between the different technologies we have been focusing on in recent years and balancing this approach. We have a specific geopolitical position and specific natural environmental conditions. We must therefore think about the energy transition as a mix of many components. Energy storage will undoubtedly be a key element,” Angelika Szufel from CMS Law Firm told Newseria.
As Minister of Climate and Environment Paulina Hennig-Kloska emphasised in March during the EuroPOWER & OZE POWER conference, energy storage facilities are the foundation of a modern energy system. The government plans to dynamically develop both large-scale and household installations. In the future, at least 200,000 such installations are expected to be built. She also noted that PSE’s grid connection conditions for energy storage facilities amount to around 40 GW.
“It is impossible to carry out an effective energy transition without energy storage, and therefore without efforts to make storage technologies more profitable, better supported and covered by regulatory frameworks that allow them to develop freely, especially in the case of large-scale energy storage facilities,” says Angelika Szufel.
“The energy mix after the shutdown of coal-fired sources, and later also gas-fired sources, will be based on renewable energy, energy storage and, where possible, local balancing. This will mean generating energy as close as possible to where it is consumed,” explains Krzysztof Mrozek, Director of the European Funds for Climate programme at the Polish Green Network. “Energy that we do not use immediately will be stored in various types of energy storage systems. These will include battery systems, but also biogas and biomethane plants, which will use green energy generated during the day by photovoltaics or on windy days by wind turbines to produce biogas and biomethane. It will then be used when there is no solar or wind power available in the system.”
Experts point out that one of the challenges in transforming Poland’s energy sector is the lack of a coherent strategy that would take into account not only climate goals and the need for decarbonisation, but also competitiveness, the geopolitical situation and security.
“We lack a global strategy — not only one concerning the energy transition, but also one related, for example, to including and building local content. This will translate, among other things, into the development of technology in Poland,” adds Angelika Szufel. “We must efficiently build local content. The energy transition means not only maintaining competitiveness, but also building climate resilience and resilience to factors related to geopolitical security. This should now be our key objective.”
“Above all, Polish energy must decarbonise. The current crisis linked to the war in the Middle East and the rapid increase in fuel costs show us that dependence on fossil fuels in an increasingly dangerous and turbulent world does not guarantee stability or development,” says Krzysztof Mrozek. “For the Polish economy to remain competitive in the European Union and globally, it must be green and decarbonised. We therefore need to accelerate the development of renewable energy sources and investments in energy efficiency. On the one hand, this means increasing the supply of green energy in the system, and on the other, reducing demand for energy wherever possible. We must also electrify industry so that it no longer has to be powered by fossil fuels.”
According to the Forum Energii report “Modernisation or Marginalisation. How Industrial Electrification Can Ensure Poland’s Security, Competitiveness and Economic Growth”, the main sources of energy for industry are currently fossil fuels: natural gas, coal and crude oil. The high level of dependence on imported raw materials — 82% for gas and 97% for oil — exposes Polish companies to the risk of price shocks.
“The point is for our factories, wherever possible, to use electricity instead of coal- or gas-fired furnaces. Where this is very difficult or impossible, namely in the most energy-intensive sectors, we will use green hydrogen produced by electrolysis using green energy from renewable sources. It will then be used to obtain high temperatures or high power in industrial plants,” explains the Polish Green Network expert.
According to Forum Energii data, in 2015 coal accounted for more than 80% of electricity generation in Poland. In 2021, this figure was 72.5%, and in 2025 it fell to 52.7%. The Ministry of Climate and Environment reported that throughout 2025, almost 55,000 GWh of energy came from renewable sources. This translated into a 31.41% share of electricity generated in Poland. In 2020, the figure was 17.83%. The share of renewables in installed capacity in the system exceeds 50%.
“Decarbonising the energy sector itself is not a simple process. We cannot replace coal- or gas-fired power plants one-to-one with photovoltaic panels. We must arrange the puzzle of the new energy mix in such a way that energy is stable, available and cheap,” says Krzysztof Mrozek.
He adds that one of the solutions with significant potential for stabilising the energy system is energy communities.
“There is enormous enthusiasm among Poles for creating them. From just a few energy communities four or five years ago, we have reached 670 now registered by the Ministry of Agriculture. This shows that citizens want to generate energy and are ready to do so, but they need support, both regulatory and financial. This is what the struggle over the coming years will be about: ensuring that investments in our energy system, worth one trillion zlotys, also include decentralised, distributed energy systems run by citizens,” says the Director of the European Funds for Climate programme at the Polish Green Network.
The main financial instrument supporting the creation and development of energy communities in Poland is the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The pool of funds allocated for this purpose amounts to PLN 845 million.
The draft update of the National Energy and Climate Plan to 2030, with a perspective to 2040, states that in the ambitious scenario, known as WAM, coal consumption will amount to 19.4 million tonnes in 2030 and 0.7 million tonnes in 2040. In the balanced transition scenario, known as WEM, the figures will be 28.4 million tonnes and 10.1 million tonnes respectively.
“Moving away from coal is possible. Not today and not tomorrow — we are not talking about switching off all our power plants tonight, because we would be left without electricity. But as Poland, we do have a plan for moving away from coal. It is still not ambitious enough, but it nevertheless shows a path of decarbonisation, meaning a gradual departure from fossil fuels in our energy sector,” explains Krzysztof Mrozek.
“Will we be a country without coal in the energy sector? Yes, certainly, because resources are running out, coal extraction is becoming increasingly expensive, and we have to import it from abroad. This is therefore the natural path towards the development of a self-sufficient and affordable energy system.”
