Recent announcements by the Polish government are unambiguous: the Polish power industry will continue to be based on coal. But unless the energy industry transitions to renewables, Poland will face shortages, Michał Olszewski warns. Lignite is one of the two foundations on which Polish energy is built. Last year, lignite power plants produced a total of 30% of Poland’s electricity (compared to 50% of electricity from bituminous coal). The Bełchatów power plant, the largest in Poland and 25th largest in the world (and at the same time the most modern in the country), was singly responsible for the production of 20% of all electricity. However, this source of cheap electricity is beginning to dry up. Extraction in the Bełchatów mine (central Poland) near the power plant will end in around 2021, and around 2040 in the nearby Szczerców field. Exploitation of the Konin field will end in 20 years at the latest, and around 2045 in Turów. In the energy sector, this is not a distant prospect. So the government began fervently searching for an … Continue reading Lignite: new beginnings, old problems