The government has unveiled draft energy policy. It covers the period until 2030. However, the document lacks specifics.
Yesterday, Waldemar Pawlak [deputy prime minister and economy minister] unveiled “Poland’s Energy Policy Until 2030.” Its objectives include improving the security of [energy] resources’ supplies, promoting renewable energy sources (including biofuels), and looking after the competitiveness of fuel and energy markets.
Entities responsible for energy security will be Orlen and Lotos [both energy concerns], which will obtain access to oil and natural gas deposits abroad, as well as PERN [oil storage and transportation company] and Operator Logistyczny Paliw Plynnych [OLPP; oil storage company], which will build new fuel storage facilities and new pipelines. The document provides for the construction of infrastructure to import Caspian oil, which means support for the Ukrainian-Polish oil pipeline of Odessa-Brody-Gdansk.
Minister Pawlak wants to change the system of fuel reserves. The policy document states that this will be done by one entity that will collect fees from companies that are obliged to create reserves. The new system will be gradually introduced, but before that happens it will be necessary to amend legal provisions.
In the gas sector, the company responsible for the security of supplies will be PGNiG [oil and gas producer], which will also make efforts to find deposits abroad and boost extraction at home. In addition, there are plans to build a gas terminal in Swinoujscie and a gas pipeline to Denmark. At the same time, Waldemar Pawlak pledged that his ministry would take over control (ownership supervision) from the treasury minister over the main transmission companies, which are responsible for gas and oil pipelines and the power grid. By the same token, Gaz System [gas transmission operator], PERN, OLPP and PSE Operator [transmission system operator] will be made subordinate to the economy minister. This will happen next year and requires the consent of the whole of the government. Waldemar Pawlak is hoping for improved competitiveness in the electricity sector and the [policy] document provides for lifting barriers for those who change [energy] suppliers, among other things. Formally, customers have been able to choose a company from which they purchase energy since July 2007.
This document contains provisions about the beginning of preparations for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland, yet it does not specify who will build it or when.
The draft assumes improved energy efficiency and investments in modern technologies, including methane production from hard coal deposits and the usgae of coal for the production of liquid fuels.
The document prepared by the Economy Ministry contains no forecasts of demand for electricity and energy resources for the next 22 years.