The fuel mix of electricity generation in Poland is currently based predominantly on solid fuels. In addition, the generation power base is outdated. Many of the generating units are inefficient, uneconomic, and do not comply ecological standards, so they should be withdrawn from use in the near future. Poland, which consumes approximately 170 TWh of electricity, needs to determine the direction of the further development of the energy sector. The concepts of covering domestic demand for electricity were outlined by the government in the draft Energy Policy of Poland until 2040, where it was pointed out that the most important pillars of the Energy Policy should be the following: The energy security of the country, competitiveness, and the improvement of the energy efficiency of the economy, as well as limiting the impact on the environment. The article presents the current state of the Polish power sector and the directional changes planned by the government in the area of new capacities for the power industry. The authors present a critical evaluation of this document indicating the opportunities and threats in the area of its implementation. In contrast to many European countries, the Polish government is not considering coal phase-out.

The article presents the present state of the electricity sector and the hard coal mining sector in Poland. Priorities for the future structure of electricity generation have been determined in the context of trends in the EU climate policy. Poland has significant reserves of coal, which will be used to produce electricity in order to secure the country's energy security and to make use of indigenous resources. Despite the current economic and financial difficulties of mining entities, the government has declared its support for hard coal mining industry. This is due to the fact that enormous investment outlays, exceeding the financial capabilities of the energy sector and the country, would be needed in order to fundamentally change the fuel structure of the sector. Due to the fact that coal-fired power plants, which now account for more than 46% of all power generation capacity, are deeply decapitalized and do not meet the EU emission requirements, the possibility of upgrading the existing units in order to improve their generation efficiency and extend their service life for the next several dozen years is explored. The Polish energy transition towards a low-carbon economy is largely based on energysaving ideas and efforts to increase the energy efficiency. There has also been a great increase in the production of renewable energy, especially wind power, which, however, is the reason for problems with the stability of power grids and the balance of supply and demand. The development of renewable energy sources used in local energy clusters is the preferred option. The presented scenarios have not yet been confirmed in the official documents of the Polish government. The government faces the task of building the long-term energy policy and energy transformation strategy that should take into account internal and external determinants and priorities. At the same time, it is important to negotiate the path of development that is consistent with the direction of the changes proposed by the European Union and takes into account the capabilities of Poland.

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This paper reviews the coal policy of Poland. It analyzes the forecasts of production and consumption of hard coal, the size of exports and imports and its importance for the energy sector on the basis of strategic documents. The main aim of the article is to show the role of hard coal in the fuel -energy balance of Poland until 2050. The adoption of appropriate assumptions for each scenario, including the maximum supply of hard coal from domestic mines, coal price curves, CO 2 emission allowances and several calculations performed allowed to obtain certain results on the basis of which the future role of hard coal was determined.Keywords: hard coal, forecast, energy policy, power sector, energy security, coal reserves, coal consumption W artykule dokonano przeglądu polityki państwa polskiego wobec górnictwa węgla kamiennego. Przeanalizowano jak kształtowały się w dokumentach strategicznych prognozy w zakresie wydobycia i zużycia węgla kamiennego, wielkości eksportu i importu oraz jego znaczenie dla sektora energetycznego. Głównym celem artykułu było ukazanie roli węgla kamiennego w bilansie paliwowo-energetycznym Polski w perspektywie do 2050 r. Po przyjęciu odpowiednich założeń dla poszczególnych scenariuszy, m.in. dotyczących maksymalnej podaży węgla kamiennego z krajowych kopalń oraz ścieżek cenowych węgla i uprawnień do emisji CO 2 oraz przeprowadzeniu obliczeń uzyskano wyniki, na podstawie których określono przyszłą rolę węgla kamiennego.

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In December 2019, the European Commission unveiled an ambitious project, the European Green Deal, which aims to lead the European Union to climate neutrality by 2050. This is a significant challenge for all EU countries, and especially for Poland. The role of hydrogen in the processes of decarbonization of the economy and transport is being discussed in many countries around the world to find rational solutions to this difficult and complex problem. There is an ongoing discussion about the hydrogen economy, which covers the production of hydrogen, its storage, transport, and conversion to the desired forms of energy, primarily electricity, mechanical energy, and new fuels. The development of the hydrogen economy can significantly support the achievement of climate neutrality. The belief that hydrogen plays an important role in the transformation of the energy sector is widespread. There are many technical and economic challenges, as well as legal and logistical barriers to deal with in the transition process. The development of hydrogen technologies and a global sustainable energy system that uses hydrogen offers a real opportunity to solve the challenges facing the global energy industry: meeting the need for clean fuels, increasing the efficiency of fuel and energy production, and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of the Polish Hydrogen Strategy, a document that sets out the directions for the development of hydrogen use (competences and technologies) in the energy, transport, and industrial sectors. This analysis is presented against the background of the European Commission’s document ‘A Hydrogen Strategy for a Climate-Neutral Europe’. The draft project presented is a good basis for further discussion on the directions of development of the Polish economy. The Polish Hydrogen Strategy, although it was created later than the EU document, does not fully follow its guidelines. The directions for further work on the hydrogen strategy are indicated so that its final version can become a driving force for the development of the country’s economy.

In the recent years, hard coal mining in Poland has been is in a deep crisis, which would have led to a number of bankruptcies if no countermeasures had been taken. The mentioned actions, though still insufficient, stabilized the situation. However, there is still a lot to do. Further steps, aimed at carrying out a radical reform of the hard coal mining and to build a profitable, efficient, and modern sector, are needed. In order to develop the strategy for the hard coal mining industry, a diagnosis of the present state and identification of the conditions in which it is functioning and will function in future is necessary. This can be done by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of mining companies − taking into account internal conditions, as well as opportunities and threats − identified as objective, external conditions of the mining environment. There is a relative balance between the weak and strong sides of mining, but the biggest problem that needs to be solved is the high cost of production. The primary cause of the crisis, threatening the future development of the industry, is the situation in the world and domestic coal markets. The oversupply of coal and its low prices are the reasons for current production losses, menacing the viability of the industry. The fact that the majority owner of mining entities is the State (pursuing a favorable policy towards the industry, taking rescue actions, and introducing legal solutions for the sector) is a chance for a positive outcome. The rationale for such an attitude is the conviction that the energy security of Poland can be strengthened by the use of indigenous resources. In the long-term profit and loss account, further support for the sector, including tax reliefs, should be considered due to the fact that the potential liquidation of mining would not only result in high losses in the area of energy security, but would also bring negative social consequences, devastating effects on the mining region, and a loss of revenue for the state and local budgets.

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