For the first time ever, Poland generates more energy from renewable sources than from coal!
According to estimates by the Forum Energii think tank, in June, renewable energy sources surpassed coal in electricity production in Poland for the first time ever.
In addition, in the entire second quarter of 2025, coal’s share fell below half for the first time in history. Thanks to record green energy production, wholesale electricity prices fell significantly. In order to maintain this trend in autumn and winter, we need the amendment to the wind farm law, which will soon be on the President’s desk, to come into force.
According to the Energy Forum [1], in June, renewable energy sources accounted for 44.1% of electricity production in Poland, while coal accounted for 43.7%. The second quarter of 2025 was also the first in the history of the Polish energy sector in which the share of coal in the mix fell below half, more precisely to 45.2%.
Thanks to record RES figures, the average wholesale price of electricity on the exchange fell in the second quarter to PLN 375 per MWh (for comparison: in the second quarter of 2024, the price was PLN 409/MWh).
This is very positive news, because renewable energy sources produce cheap energy. However, we must remember that we can only dream of such results in autumn and winter. Although wind turbines produce more energy at that time, their capacity is currently too low in relation to demand. In order to reduce energy prices in the long term and fill the gap left by the closure of coal-fired power plants, we need to develop wind farms. Let’s hope that the wind farm bill passed by the Sejm will quickly reach President Duda and be signed by him,” says Marek Józefiak, spokesperson and environmental policy expert at Greenpeace Poland.
Poland currently has solar power plants with a capacity of 23 gigawatts (GW) and onshore wind farms with a capacity of only 11 GW. In autumn and winter, solar power plants produce little energy, while electricity demand is up to a third higher than in summer.
President Andrzej Duda recently said that he is not a fan of wind turbines. Let us hope that the President will listen to the voice of Polish industry, the energy sector and local governments, which see them as an opportunity. It is also worth remembering that the new wind turbine law introduces a support mechanism for people living near wind turbines of up to PLN 20,000 per year. Wind turbines will also generate significant income from leases for farmers and tax revenues for rural municipalities, emphasises Marek Józefiak of Greenpeace.
According to the Polish Wind Energy Association, the development of wind turbines will create between 50,000 and 100,000 new jobs. The steel industry says outright that unlocking wind energy is crucial for them to remain competitive. Wind turbines are also an opportunity for rural development.
“Over the next decade, Polish coal-fired power plants will be retired. If we do not build enough wind turbines and other renewable sources during this time, the gap left by coal will be filled by gas, an expensive imported fuel. Instead of strengthening our energy sovereignty and developing the Polish countryside, we will be sending billions to Qatar, Norway or the USA. That would be shooting ourselves in the foot. Let’s remember that we can only expect a nuclear power plant to be commissioned in a dozen or so years,” adds Marek Józefiak.
[1] Estimates prepared by Forum Energii based on data from ENTSO-E and the Energy Market Agency.
Source
Greenpeace Polen 2025 | Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
