Investments in renewables must be matched by major spending on grid stability — the April blackout on the Iberian Peninsula made this clear. That is why Polish energy utilities are allocating billions of złoty not only to renewable generation, but also to grid modernisation, development of distribution infrastructure, and the construction of energy storage systems. Over the next 10 years, Tauron plans to allocate around 90% of its total capex to these strategic priorities.
“What matters most for the entire country is to have a strong grid. But when investing, we must be extremely cautious — it’s not just about spending large sums of money, but about doing it in the most efficient way while meeting our customers’ expectations for supply reliability. This is a new philosophy of grid development. It is no longer about simply ‘replacing the oldest components’ or ‘building new ones’ — we now need so-called digital twins, which we test and deploy only where they create the highest value,”
said Grzegorz Lot, CEO of Tauron Polska Energia, during the PRECOP climate conference.
“The foundation of Tauron Group’s strategy is investment in the distribution grid, into which we plan to invest PLN 60 billion by 2035. We believe that a reliable, future-ready grid that enables further development and connection of renewable energy is the backbone of the entire energy transition,”
said Michał Orłowski, Vice President for Asset Management & Development at Tauron Polska Energia, in an interview with Newseria.
According to the Tauron Group Strategy 2025–2035, total investment will reach PLN 100 billion over the next 10 years, with 60% of that allocated to distribution network modernisation, 30% to renewables and battery storage, 5% to district heating and 4% to sales and other areas. Tauron plans to increase installed RES capacity to 2.7 GW by 2030 and 4.3 GW by 2035, mainly through onshore wind. A joint offshore wind project with a partner is also being prepared, where Tauron’s share would total 0.4 GW.
“Our key priority is to deliver on our strategic goals — and one of the most critical is investment in onshore wind, which we see as the most efficient energy source. The volume of wind energy in the system should be as high as possible, because over a 10-, 20- or 30-year perspective it provides a stable, customer-aligned generation profile,”
said CEO Grzegorz Lot.
In Miejska Górka (Greater Poland), Tauron is currently building Poland’s second-largest onshore wind farm, with a planned capacity of nearly 200 MW — enough to power around 200,000 households. The project includes 53 turbines, foundations for which have already been poured. Commissioning is scheduled for 2027.
“For us, onshore wind is the key technology — it is cost-competitive and complements photovoltaics well. But there is also room for new stabilising capacity, including gas peaker plants and multiple forms of energy storage. This includes battery storage, but also our potential major investment in a pumped-storage hydropower plant in Rożnów, which would be an important stabilising asset for the national energy system,”
explains Michał Orłowski.
“Any investment that stabilises the grid strengthens energy security. The event on the Iberian Peninsula — where a frequency drop triggered a temporary desynchronisation — illustrates just how critical the technical dimension really is. Decarbonisation is irreversible, and traditional coal-based power generation will be phased out. It is being replaced by weather-dependent renewables, which is why we must invest in stability mechanisms to secure the grid during periods of low generation,”
added Piotr Gołębiowski, Vice President for Trading at Tauron Polska Energia.
According to Forum Energii, renewables accounted for 37.5% of Poland’s electricity generation in August (4.8 TWh). Solar PV delivered 56.8% of RES output, and wind 27.9%. In Poland, renewables typically represent a higher share in consumption than in production, and when generation temporarily exceeds demand, grid-stabilising battery storage plays a key role.
“We are now seeing a boom in energy storage investment — especially to stabilise solar output — along with rapid development of new gas peaker units. There is strong expectation that the second capacity market round will favour **new technologies that improve grid reliability. We are on the right track — but this is still only the beginning,”
said Piotr Gołębiowski.
A report by the Polish Energy Regulatory Office (URE) indicated that as of May 2024, Poland had 12 energy storage facilities of at least 50 kW, operated by five major distribution and transmission operators, with a total installed capacity of 1,464.5 MW — 85% of which is pumped storage.
“Energy storage is absolutely crucial — not only battery-based, but also thermal storage. We are deliberately accelerating the decarbonisation of district heating. Within the next few years, we aim for 100% of summer hot water demand to be covered by renewables, with the entire heat network acting as a distributed energy storage system. All our new investments are already being designed with decentralised architectures and thermal storage built in,”
said Grzegorz Lot.
As Michał Orłowski emphasised, ensuring stable domestic supply chains is critical when scaling up renewables, storage and distribution assets. This is why Tauron prioritises local content — the involvement of Polish companies to mitigate supply chain risk.
“This significantly limits supply chain risk. We strongly favour local suppliers — in distribution, more than 99% of contracts are awarded to Polish firms, and the goal for our Rożnów megaproject is at least 80% Polish local content,”
concluded Vice President Orłowski.
