Stepping on the Gas

This report by Ember analyzes the regulatory and economic risks associated with Poland's plans to expand its gas-fired power capacity, arguing that such investments conflict with EU climate goals and exceed the capacity required for a transition away from coal.

• Poland's proposed gas projects face significant regulatory risks due to EU emissions targets and the EU Methane Strategy, which is expected to introduce legislative tools to curb methane emissions across the supply chain, thereby increasing operational costs for gas plants in Poland.
• The EU taxonomy may restrict financing for gas projects in Poland; specifically, a proposed emissions limit of 270 g CO2/kWh would block support for non-CHP projects, which account for 70% of Poland's proposed gas capacity additions.
• The 'Fit for 55' package and EU-ETS reforms threaten the funding of Poland's gas plans by maintaining high emission allowance prices and prohibiting the use of Modernisation Fund money for fossil fuel activities. This is particularly impactful as Poland currently qualifies for 43.4% of the Modernisation Fund.
• Modelling by Instrat suggests that Poland's gas capacity needs are significantly lower than planned, with a maximum total gas capacity of 6 GW needed between 2025 and 2030, and generation peaking at 30 TWh in 2025 before falling to 9 TWh by 2040.
• The report concludes that Poland's current gas trajectory lacks a phase-out plan or requirements for hydrogen compatibility, which risks locking the country into gas dependency beyond 2050 and preventing the achievement of net-zero.

APA

Ember (2021). Stepping on the Gas. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/stepping-on-the-gas

Chicago

Ember. Stepping on the Gas. 2021. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/stepping-on-the-gas.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Stepping on the Gas |date=20 September 2021 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/stepping-on-the-gas |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2021stepping, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Stepping on the Gas}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/stepping-on-the-gas}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }