New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Poland’s coal endures but sun shines on alternatives
15/10/2025
8 min read
Feature
Coal has powered Poland since the Communist era, a symbol of economic self-sufficiency and national pride. Coal once employed 400,000 workers across 70 mines; today, only 19 pits remain, employing 75,000 people, but they still produce around 60mn t/y. By contrast, nearly 200,000 people work in renewables – a number forecast to reach 300,000 by 2030. Jo Harper reports from Warsaw.
Despite this growth in green energy, Poland remains a coal powered state. Its consumption provided about 57% of Polish electricity in 2023 – compared with an EU average of under 15% the same year, according to Eurostat. Moreover, this is a power policy decision to maintain coal power. Between 20–25% of that coal is imported from Kazakhstan and Indonesia due to high domestic production costs, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
But the long-term direction is clear: coal’s dominance is eroding and a more diverse mix of renewables, gas and (in future) nuclear is emerging. In 2024, according to the IEA, renewables accounted for 29% of Polish energy production. This compares with 12.4% for gas and 1.35% for oil. A decade ago, in 2013, coal accounted for over 80% of generation, renewables barely 10%, and gas below 5%, according to World Bank data.
Unsurprisingly, Poland was responsible for just under 11% of total EU emissions in 2023, despite comprising only 8.1% of the EU population. Although carbon emissions have fallen by over 30% since their 1980s peak, Poland’s 2030 emissions reduction target of 17.7% compared with 2005 levels remains modest next to Germany or Denmark’s 50% goals.