Energy Security in Poland: Where the Energy Sector Falls Short and Where It Can Go

Abstract

In the aftermath of World War II, Poland rebuilt its energy sector through the use of fossil fuels, thus establishing a dependence on coal power. This reliance has slowed its transition to environmentally friendly energy sources, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. These characteristics of Poland’s energy sector serve as a roadblock to diversifying the nation’s energy sources and have subsequently resulted in its average energy security and poor environmental sustainability rankings in the top 25 largest on the 2020 International Index of Energy Security Risk. This ranking highlights the areas of improvement necessary for the nation to achieve greater energy security. This paper outlines Poland’s current energy security status and provides policy recommendations that the nation’s federal government can employ to improve overall energy security by diversifying their energy sources and improving the environmental impact of the energy sector.