Dispatch from Poland | August '25

Stories to watch in the weeks ahead

• The battle over wind power continues – President Nawrocki has issued his first veto rejecting a bill that would allow the construction of wind turbines closer to homes on the grounds that it lacked public support. Polls published the same day suggested otherwise: an IBRiS survey for Rzeczpospolita daily and an Opinia24 poll for More in Common found people support the reform. The bill also included a freeze on energy prices through to the end of the year. Nawrocki called the inclusion of the freeze in the bill “blackmail” by the parliamentary majority and split it from the wind measures, sending both back to parliament for a September vote. Climate minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska warned that the president’s draft cannot be passed before the current price freeze expires and said several scenarios for wind rules are still under discussion, leaving the fate of both bills uncertain.
• Pledges to lower energy prices – The day after the veto, the presidential spokesperson announced that “within a few weeks” the president would present a bill “permanently reducing electricity prices by 33 percent”, which was one of his election promises. Neither the spokesman, Rafał Leśkiewicz, nor Nawrocki have yet revealed what measures will be included in the bill. However, when vetoing the wind bill, Nawrocki voiced opposition to the EU's Green Deal and pledged Poland would continue mining coal.
• New energy ministry without renewables portfolio? – As part of last month’s cabinet reshuffle, prime minister Donald Tusk re-established a standalone energy ministry, taking over responsibilities previously split between the climate and industry ministries. The new energy portfolio went to Miłosz Motyka who, until last month, was a deputy climate minister in charge of energy and electromobility. Climate policy remained with Paulina Hennig-Kloska. Formally, the renewable energy portfolio – a critical issue for a country still reliant on coal for most of its electricity generation – remains with her. Yet Motyka would like to take it over, which requires legislative change. “We are probably the only country in Europe where renewable energy sources are not handled by the energy ministry,” Motyka told Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily.

The latest from Poland – last month in recap

• National Energy and Climate Plan unveiled at last – Poland’s government has finally unveiled the updated draft for its long-delayed National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), which pledges 1.1 trillion zloty (almst 260 billion euros) in investments by 2030 to expand renewables, upgrade grids, and modernise buildings. Out of two scenarios, the ‘ambitious’ path foresees renewables providing over half of electricity by 2030 and nearly 80 percent by 2040 (up from 29% in 2024), with coal largely phased out by 2035 and gas consumption halved by 2040. Poland was already over a year late in submitting the plan to Brussels. The climate ministry has reportedly asked the European Commission not to go to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) about the delay and allow it to submit its final NECP this autumn.
• Polish river at historic low – Poland’s longest river, Vistula, reached a historic low of 7 centimetres at the Warsaw measuring station this week. Experts attribute the persistently low water levels to an ongoing hydrological drought affecting multiple rivers across Poland. Climate factors, such as prolonged heatwaves and low rainfall, are expected to exacerbate the situation, with another potential dry spell forecast for September. The low levels have already disrupted ferry services on the Vistula and may continue to impact river navigation and local water management. 
• South Korea drops nuclear power project in Poland – South Korea’s power company KHNP has withdrawn from a planned nuclear project in Konin-Pątnów, central Poland, citing alleged changes in Warsaw’s energy policy under the new government. Poland’s energy ministry said claims that the government had abandoned the project were false. The move comes after KHNP settled an intellectual property dispute with US-based energy company Westinghouse, which reportedly bars the Korean firm from bidding on most nuclear projects in the EU and other key markets (Westinghouse is contracted to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant). Poland insists the project has not been suspended and has invited South Korea to join a competitive tender for a second nuclear plant. The withdrawal sparked political backlash from Poland’s opposition. Poland plans to build two nuclear plants by 2040 with a combined capacity of up to 9 gigawatts. 
• Consumer authority goes hard on greenwashing – Poland’s competition watchdog UOKiK has charged four major companies with greenwashing, accusing them of misleading consumers with vague or exaggerated environmental claims. The companies include: Allegro, one of Europe’s largest e-commerce platforms; InPost, a leading Polish delivery firm; and the Polish branches of German courier company DHL and French-owned DPD. The regulator said the firms used terms like “green fleet”, “zero emissions”, and “environmentally neutral” without sufficient evidence, often relying on incomplete data or unrealistic assumptions. If confirmed, the charges could result in fines of up to 10 percent of each company’s annual turnover. 
• New oil deposit – Central European Petroleum (CEP) said it has discovered Poland’s largest-ever oil deposit, along with significant natural gas reserves, off the Baltic coast near Świnoujście. The Wolin East 1 well is estimated to hold 22 million tonnes of oil and 5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, with the wider concession potentially containing 33 million tonnes of oil and 27 bcm of gas – more than doubling Poland’s current reserves. Poland currently consumes about 30 million tonnes of oil and 20 bcm of gas annually.

Alicja’s picks – highlights from upcoming events and top reads

• Warsaw-based think tank Instrat, which focuses on the green and digital economy, has published a new report calling for Poland to appoint a “climate CFO.” This would be a government official who is responsible for ensuring transparent spending, managing costs, and maintaining public support for the energy transition. The report argues that financing the transition is one of Poland’s greatest challenges and warns that the current lack of clear institutional responsibility could undermine its success.
• The former president of Polska Grupa Górnicza, Poland's largest mining company, warned in an interview with XYZ that without a significant reduction in costs, the billions in subsidies for mining – 9 billion zloty (€2.11 billion) this year – will need to continuously grow.
• This month, I published an insight on Notes from Poland outlining the history, present, and future of coal in the country. The report was inspired by Marcin Popkiewicz’s book Zrozumieć Transformację energetyczną (Understanding the Energy Transition). The book is only available in Polish, but I recommend it to Polish speakers for its clear and humorous take on the complexities of Poland’s – and the world’s – energy transition.