The document includes a long-term strategy for energy sector, forecasts for fuel and energy demand and a program of implementation activities until 2012
The Polish government has adopted Energy Policy of Poland until 2030. The document includes a long-term strategy for energy sector, forecasts for fuel and energy demand and a program of implementation activities until 2012.
The strategy addresses the most important challenges that the Polish energy sector faces both in short- and long-term perspective. Implementation of the solutions indicated in the document will help satisfy a growing demand for energy, develop generation and transmission infrastructure, reduce dependence on external supplies of natural gas and crude oil as well as fulfill international obligations within the scope of environmental protection.
The policy specifies six basic directions for the development of the Polish energy sector. Detailed goals, implementation activities and a specific method of their accomplishment have been created for each of them and also time limits have been set and responsible entities appointed. None of the previous documents contained such a detailed action plan.
1. Improving energy efficiency
This issue is given priority in the Policy and progress in this field will be of key importance for the realisation of all its assumptions. The main objectives in this respect are as follows:
* aiming at maintaining zero-energy economic growth,
* consistent decrease in energy consumption in the Polish economy to the EU-15 level.
The Ministry of Economy will prepare an Act on energy efficiency which will implement a system of support in a form of white certificates guaranteeing financial benefits for the entities achieving the highest energy savings. Ministry will also stimulate the development of high efficiency cogeneration, support investments in energy saving and scientific research. In addition information and education campaigns will be carried out to promote effective use of energy.
2. Increased security of fuel and energy supplies
Poland’s energy security will be based on domestic resources, especially of hard coal and lignite. This will ensure that electricity and to a great extent also heat production will not be dependent on imported raw materials.
Activities aiming at the diversification of fuel supplies will be continued. Supply of crude oil, liquid fuels and gas will be also diversified through the differentiation of production technologies and not only directions of the supplies. Development of the technologies enabling to obtain liquid and gas fuels from national raw materials will be supported.
The Policy also assumes creating stable prospects for investments in industrial and distribution infrastructure. An obligation to work our network development plans, location of new production capacities and costs of connecting them will be imposed on network operators. Incentives to invest in the power generation and transmission infrastructure will be included in the tariffs. In addition a development of cross-border connections has been planned. Regulations defining the responsibility of local governments for preparing local plans for the supply of heat, electricity and gas fuels will be changed.
3. Diversification of the electricity generation structure – introduction of nuclear energy
In the document the department of economy also created basis for preparing the Polish nuclear energy program. Activities that should be undertaken in the nearest years in order to put first installations of this type into operation in Poland have been indicated. It is about preparing appropriate legal and organisational infrastructure and ensuring conditions for the construction and putting into operation of nuclear power plants on the basis of verified and safe technologies.
4. Development of the use of renewable energy sources (RES)
The Policy also focuses to a great extent on the development of renewable energy. The most important undertaking within this area will be developing a path towards achieving the goals included in the climate package, including a division into individual types of RES and the related technologies.
The document sets the following goals: 15-per cent share of RES in the final energy consumption in 2020 and 10-per cent share of biofuels in the transport fuel market in 2020. Poland will be also aiming at greater use of second generation biofuels.
In addition some activities will be conducted to support the development of agricultural biogas installations and wind farms on land and at sea. It will be possible to directly support new RES units and electricity grids from the European funds and environmental protection fund resources.
5. Development of competitive fuel and energy markets
The strategy for the sector also anticipates some activities focused on increasing competition mechanism on the energy market. Their aim will be to ensure undisturbed functioning of the market and thus counteract excessive price increases.
It has been planned to implement a new architecture of the electric energy market, based on a system of nodal fees and to implement regulations that make it easier to change a supplier. In addition the Ministry of Economy prepared solutions proposed for the protection of vulnerable electric energy consumers.
6. Limiting environmental impact of the energy sector
Methods of reducing CO2, SO2, NOX emissions which will help to fulfill international obligations without any significant changes in the energy mix have been indicated owing to the obligations resulting from the climate package in the Energy Policy.
For that purpose a management system for national ceilings on emission of greenhouse gases and other substances will be created and admissible product-specific emission indicators will be introduced. Obligations resulting from a new ETS Directive will be fulfilled and a system for administering proceeds from the auctions of CO2 emission rights will be developed. A very important direction of activities will also be to support the development of carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies (CCS).
***
In addition to its strategic section, the draft document also includes four attachments constituting its integral part:
* Assessment of the implementation of energy policy since 2005 related to Poland’s Energy Policy until 2025 adopted by the Council of Ministers on 4th January 2005.
* The forecast of the demand for fuels and energy until 2030.
* Programme for implementation activities for the period 2009-2012 specifying in detail individual tasks to be completed in the coming years.
* Conclusions from a strategic evaluation of environmental impact of energy policy.