Coal energy to come to end in Poland by 2060 at the latest - official

Deputy PM Jacek Sasin has told the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna that Poland should cease to be based on coal energy by 2060 at the latest. He added that a feasible repair programme for the mining sector had to be ready in two months.

The deputy PM underlined that since the point was to introduce serious changes, no haste was needed. He stated that the Polish Mining Group (PGG) together with the State Assets Ministry had prepared a restructuring programme, which could not be implemented due to fierce opposition from the trade union side. "We decided not to force it in this situation. (...) We want to start a new dialogue. I could not imagine that such serious changes could be introduced without the approval of the trade union side," he said.

Sasin added that the repair programme was a necessity but admitted that it would be difficult to find an alternative to the already proposed plan. "But we are open to talks," he declared.

The official underlined that the economic condition of the sector was visible. "Talks regarding the changes in the entire sector are ahead of us. A step back was our common decision. To show good will and a willingness to hold further talks," he said.

"We believe that Poland's dependence on coal energy will come to an end in 2050 or even 2060. Today, the capacity market makes it possible for us to ensure the financing of coal energy until 2040. (...) At the same time, the non-coal sector will have to make huge investments in alternatives to coal," he concluded.