21-1-2013
Local community from Pelplin scored a major success in the dispute with the Elektrownia Polnoc power plant (EP) investor
Citizens of Pelplin, a commune in northern Poland, 60km from Gdansk, won a chance to reverse the final building permit for Elektrownia Polnoc (EP), a company owned by Kulczyk Investments - a holding established by Jan Kulczyk, one of the richest people in Poland. Read more »
29-11-2012
To be or not to be: The Elektrownia Północ power plant
Although Poland is slowly becoming a lonely island in its relentless fight to keep the coal-fired production of energy, it is mainly those investments in which the National Treasury is involved that are supported by Poland’s government. Elektronia Północ is absent from the list of the country’s most important investments that were enlisted by Poland’s Minister of State Treasury, Mr. Budzanowski. The fate of the units at Rajkowy remains undecided. It is known that at least seven other large coal-fired energy investments will not be built, or that they will instead utilize different technologies. Read more »
8-11-2012
No free CO2 emmissions for Elektrownia Północ power plant
The European Commission ruled on 13 July 2012 to provide temporary allowances amounting to over PLN 404 million for power plants in Poland. However, over 30 of the planned investments in the energy sector will not be financed this way, including the Elektrownia Północ power plant. Once these establishments are completed and operational, they may be entitled to free CO2 emissions allowances. However, as with other utilities, the money saved this way may only be spent on modernization and clean technologies. The Polish government accepted the decision and did not appeal the ruling. Read more »
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Where will the coal used in the Północ power plant come from?
Nobody knows it for such, but it is rather unlikely that the Północ Power Plant will burn Polish coal. It is no accident that the power plant is to be built in northern Poland – a long distance from coal mines, but with excellent railway connection to the nearby harbour in Gdynia, which docks are famous for welcoming coal ships from distant places such as Chile, China or Australia. Foreign coal is cheaper and of higher quality than the domestic resource. Today the majority of coal Poland imports is from Russia. In Poland, almost 90% of energy is produced from coal. Strategically speaking, it’s inadvisable to further increase this reliance on coal, especially when international treaties such as the Paris Agreement oblige us to reduce CO2 emissions. To produce energy profitably, we may find ourselves having to import coal from China, for example. Large coal plants are a long-term − several decades or more − investment, and recent economic changes have clearly shown that we should not lock ourselves in coal dependence.
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