Poland’s Pragmatic Energy Approach Pays Off

By refusing to play by the EU’s restrictive climate rules, Poland has begun to build one of Europe’s most energy-secure economies

While much of the bloc marches in lockstep towards a self-inflicted economic wound called ‘net zero’, Poland has chosen a different path – one of pragmatism, national interest and, most importantly, energy security.

And this path is paying handsome dividends.

Coal Powers Poland

At the heart of Poland’s defiance is a steadfast refusal to abandon coal, the bedrock of its energy system. In 2024, coal, oil and natural gas accounted for more than 85 percent of total primary energy supply, the highest share in the EU.

Coal alone generated 55 percent of the nation’s electricity in 2024, powering homes, factories and businesses.

Though news media were excited about ‘renewables’ increased share of power generation in June, the country is actively finding ways to make coal a mainstay. The Energy Policy of Poland 2040 (EPP2040) outlines a plan for major utilities like PGE and Tauron to spin off coal-fired plants into separate entities this year.

By isolating coal assets, Poland delays aggressive transition timelines, ensuring that coal assets are spared from EU transition rules. Jakub Jaworowski, Poland’s Minister of State Assets, reinforces this strategy, noting that government analysis found no economic justification for divesting coal assets.

Maciej Bando, Poland’s deputy climate minister, has been unequivocal on this point:

“I have no doubt that coal units will be needed in the system until they are naturally replaced by nuclear power plants.”

The idea that you can power a modern industrial economy with intermittent and unreliable sources of energy like wind and solar is a dangerous fantasy.

Poland must be careful to not follow the examples of Germany and the U.K., where domination of power grids by wind and solar has resulted in unstable power supplies, surging imports and unaffordable power prices.

Onwards and upwards

But Poland’s success story does not end with coal. The country is also blessed with newfound reserves of natural resources that promise to further enhance energy security and fuel economic growth.

Early this year, the state-affiliated Orlen Group announced the discovery of a natural gas deposit in western Poland, with estimated reserves of nearly 250 million cubic meters.

The crown jewel, however, is the July discovery near Poland’s Baltic coast of what has been hailed as the nation’s largest-ever oil and gas find. This deposit rivals or surpasses the Barnówko-Mostno-Buszewo field – previously Poland’s largest, with 400–500 million barrels of oil.

Experts suggest its recoverable reserves could make this one of Europe’s most significant hydrocarbon discoveries in a decade. For Polish families, this translates to lower prices, reduced reliance on imports and billions in royalties to fund public services.

Polish reliance on ‘fossil fuels’ has not hindered growth; it has fuelled it. From 2022 to 2025, Poland’s gross domestic product grew by an impressive 11.6 percent, outpacing economic giants like Germany, France and Italy and surpassing the EU average.

In 2024 alone, Poland’s projected growth of 2.9 percent dwarfed the EU’s sluggish pace. Poland’s unemployment rate stood at 5.2 percent, lower than the EU average.

What if other nations were to abandon the self-destructive dogma of ‘net zero’ and embrace a more rational approach to energy and climate policy? The results would be nothing short of transformative.

We would see a resurgence of economic growth, a decline in energy prices, and a return to a more commonsense approach to environmental stewardship.

The climate industrial complex, which has grown rich and powerful by peddling fear and misinformation, would be exposed for the fraud that it is.

And the people of Europe, who have been forced to bear the brunt of this failed experiment, would finally be set free.

See more here co2coalition.org

Bold emphasis added

Header image: Business Insurance News

About the author: Vijay Jayaraj is a Research Associate at the CO2 Coalition. He holds a master’s degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, UK and resides in India. He has a postgraduate degree in energy management from Robert Gordon University in the UK, and a bachelor’s in engineering from Anna University, India.

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Comments (1)

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    DouweH

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    The whole EU parliament needs to be lined up and vaccinated with high velocity lead poison, and make each one of them pay in advance for their vaccine.

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