Poland needs nuclear power to withdraw from coal says climate minister

Poland will be unable to end coal-fired energy production until it can replace it with nuclear energy, Climate Minister Anna Moskwa has said.

The country, which is still heavily dependent on coal for electricity production, is looking to nuclear with plans to build a number of nuclear reactors.

"As long as there is no nuclear power engineering in Poland, we will not be able to withdraw from coal-fired energy production," Moskwa told a conference on the Polish energy sector on Monday.

"And this is what we have been preparing our system for," she said.

"We have completed the technological and economic review of the existing coal-fired units," Moskwa continued, adding that modernisation recommendations had also been prepared in order "to make it possible for these units to remain in the system."

Earlier in the day, Moskwa told PAP that in 2040, renewables and nuclear power will account for around 73 percent of Poland's energy mix.

"The development of energy transmission and distribution networks is a necessary condition to carry out an effective energy transition," the climate minister said.

According to Moskwa, Poland has to consistently implement a nuclear energy programmme in order to open its first nuclear unit in 2033 and build more by 2040.

The government is planned to adopt an update on Poland's energy policy by 2040 during its meeting on Tuesday.