A summary of the Polish power industry in 2018 gives no apparent reason for optimism. But appearances can be deceiving: there is a flicker of light on the horizon. The only question is whether it is not appearing too late, says Michał Olszewski. In Poland, the most important issue for consumers right now is electricity prices. Energy prices were set to skyrocket this year due to the rising price of CO2 emissions allowances and the monumental demands of modernising the antiquated energy sector. However, power providers were banned from increasing energy prices during the election year. Where did the government get the money to keep power prices low? The gap has been stopped, but there is no particular reason to celebrate – the government got the money from selling unused emissions allowances. There is no contradiction in this: allowances are going up in price, but Polish power plants are still getting some of theirs free of charge. This is because Poland has taken advantage of a loophole in the EU law which allows some free … Continue reading Poland may miss its 2020 targets for renewable energy – unless offshore wind develops fast