What the Public Consultation reveals about Poland’s Updated National Energy and Climate Plan

The document identifies significant gaps in Poland's draft updated NECP, arguing that the current 'with additional measures' (WAM) scenario is too limited and fails to meet the EU's 55% greenhouse gas reduction target. It recommends diversifying the clean energy portfolio to include clean firm power, prioritising clean hydrogen for hard-to-abate industrial sectors rather than light-duty transport or grid blending, and streamlining the regulatory framework for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Additionally, it highlights Poland's vast CO2 storage potential (over 15 Gt) and urges the government to implement Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfD) to de-risk CCS investments. The report also calls for a dedicated Methane Action Plan to address significant emissions from the oil, gas, and coal sectors, and suggests increasing R&D spending to 3% of GDP by 2030.

• Poland's draft NECP 'with additional measures' (WAM) scenario targets a 50.4% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to 1990, which is below the EU target of 55%.
• The document argues that Poland should prioritise clean hydrogen for 'no regrets' hard-to-abate industrial sectors—such as refining, chemicals, fertiliser production, and primary steel manufacturing—rather than for power generation, light-duty vehicles, or blending into the natural gas grid.
• Poland possesses a significant CO2 storage potential exceeding 15 Gt, primarily in saline aquifers (14.3 Gt) and hydrocarbon fields (1 Gt), which is not adequately reflected in the draft NECP.
• The current nuclear regulatory framework in Poland requires Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to undergo the same licensing and permitting procedures as large-scale units, which the document suggests should be streamlined.
• Methane mitigation is largely overlooked in the draft NECP, which lacks specific, measurable objectives despite Poland emitting an estimated 58 kt of methane in the oil and gas sector and 698 kt from coal mines in 2023.
• Poland's planned R&D investment of 2.5% of GDP by 2030 is considered insufficient, as it falls short of the 3% annual GDP target set by EU leaders.

APA

Castañer, A. M., & Kupiec, B. (2025). What the Public Consultation reveals about Poland’s Updated National Energy and Climate Plan. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/resource/what-public-consultation-reveals-about-polands-updated-national-energy-climate-plan/

Chicago

Castañer, Alejandra Muñoz, and Bartlomiej Kupiec. What the Public Consultation reveals about Poland’s Updated National Energy and Climate Plan. Clean Air Task Force, 2025. https://www.catf.us/resource/what-public-consultation-reveals-about-polands-updated-national-energy-climate-plan/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Castañer |first1=Alejandra Muñoz |last2=Kupiec |first2=Bartlomiej |title=What the Public Consultation reveals about Poland’s Updated National Energy and Climate Plan |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=9 January 2025 |url=https://www.catf.us/resource/what-public-consultation-reveals-about-polands-updated-national-energy-climate-plan/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{castaer2025what, author = {Castañer, Alejandra Muñoz and Kupiec, Bartlomiej}, title = {{What the Public Consultation reveals about Poland’s Updated National Energy and Climate Plan}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://www.catf.us/resource/what-public-consultation-reveals-about-polands-updated-national-energy-climate-plan/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }