Plan to Speed Up Coal Exit Risks Roiling Polish Government
(Bloomberg) -- Poland’s Climate Ministry is pushing to radically speed up the exit from coal in a move that may anger miners and open a new conflict within the ruling coalition ahead of a presidential election next year.
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The goals set by the ministry call for only 1% of power in Poland to be generated from coal in 2040, down from 60% currently and 22% expected in 2030, according to its initial proposal seen by Bloomberg.
The targets are part of a plan that Poland needs to present to the European Union under its climate regulations. But it’s likely to run into stiff opposition from other parts of the coalition.
Some officials fear the proposal may alienate voters in the country’s industrial heartland, especially as Prime Minister Donald Tusk has stood by his predecessor’s pledges to keep mines operational until 2049.
The push to speed up the exit from coal is led by Climate Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska, who comes from a junior party in Tusk’s four-party coalition. No stranger to controversy, she had previous run-ins with other officials over everything from a plan to spin off coal assets to capping energy prices.
Industry Minister Marzena Czarnecka, a university professor allied with Tusk’s party, has repeatedly said that the 2049 deal with miners remains binding. The prime minister relocated her ministry from Warsaw to Katowice, the capital of the coal mining region, after his party returned to power following 2023 parliamentary elections.
But critics say the promise is unrealistic and have urged the government to accelerate the country’s transition to renewable energy. Poland is among the EU states with the highest electricity prices due to significant carbon emission costs, undermining its economic competitiveness.
The Climate Ministry was not immediately available to comment on the 2040 goals. At a conference earlier on Thursday it refused to discuss the 2040 perspective, saying it first needs to consult it with other ministries.
Ministers are meeting with representatives of miners and lobby groups on Friday to discuss plans, which also envisage the share of renewable sources in power production growing to 63% in 2040 from 26% now. One union for miners is planning to stage a protest in the Warsaw next week, demanding talks with the government about its plan for the industry.
Tusk and his partners have promises to bring Poland back to the EU’s mainstream in terms of democratic standards and cutting back on fossil fuels. But the cabinet has failed to deliver a clear energy transition plan as ministers haggle over policy nearly nine months after taking power.
“Concrete decisions, a clear timetable and clear communication from decision-makers is key to making the inevitable transition a fair one,” the Warsaw-based Forum Energii think tank said in a report this week. “It’s time to prioritize this topic in Poland.”
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