Poland has launched a consultation on the transformation of the electricity sector, which will last on 28 June 2021. The country plans to separate lignite-fired power plants from state-owned energy groups PGE (57.4% state-owned), Enea (51.5% state-owned) and Tauron (30.1% state-owned) in the second or third quarter of 2022.
The energy groups are expected to separate coal and lignite mines and lignite-fired power plants and sell them to the State Treasury. The Treasury would then consolidate the lignite-fired assets within PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna, that would be renamed National Energy Security Agency (NABE). NABE will conduct investments needed to maintain plants’ operational efficiency and gradually phase out coal-fired units.
The reform may help power companies raise funds for green projects, as banks have shied away from backing coal-dependent companies. Coal accounts for 68% of the country’s installed capacity with 31 GW (2020), of which 70 coal-fired and lignite-fired power units owned by PGE, Enea and Tauron. Coal-fired CHP plants are not included in the reform, as they should be modernised.