Wrochna on the energy transition. "Without low energy prices, the EU will not achieve its goals."

According to Deputy Minister of Energy Wojciech Wrochna, who opened the 11th National Economic Summit in Warsaw on Monday, the Polish energy transformation should not be compared to the models of other European countries.

"In Poland, the energy transition has a direct impact on over 40% of our GDP . In the case of Sweden, for example, it's less than 5%. This is a completely different scale of the challenge," said Wrochna. "But it's also a huge opportunity to build a modern economy and increase its competitiveness."

The energy transformation must be fair and open to problems

Wrochna pointed out that the discussion about Poland's energy transformation must be conducted honestly and openly.

"We cannot close ourselves off from the difficult discussion about what awaits certain sectors, primarily hard coal and lignite mining and the energy generation sector from these sources . There is no way we can implement the transformation without considering issues of energy, social, and economic security, " declared Wrochna.

A representative of the Ministry of Energy emphasized the importance of the rapidly changing economic and political dynamics currently taking place worldwide. An example of this, in the energy context, is the intensive development of a new technological sector: computing centers that support data collection and the development of artificial intelligence.

"This is a key debate in several places today. One of the largest players in this market estimates that by 2030 it will consume as much energy as the entire United Kingdom today. A dozen or so months ago, no one was saying this, and this poses very significant challenges for us, and we must maintain a flexible approach to all of this," noted the Secretary of State.

Striving for zero emissions is important, but it must be preceded by pragmatism

Wrochna recalled that both Poland and the European Union have goals of achieving a zero-emission economy by 2050. However, he emphasized that pursuing this goal should be characterized by pragmatism and flexibility, and that Polish entrepreneurs and industry associations should take active steps to anticipate politicians' decisions , both at the national and EU levels.

In his opinion, if, for example, in 2027 or 2030 we have high energy prices, the European Union economy may not be able to withstand this until 2050.

- We in Poland can plan exactly as we want, but we cannot ignore what is happening today in the European Union and on the global stage - said Wojciech Wrochna.

- We need to check now whether we are not spending too much money on some long-term projects, because we could lock in these high energy prices for many years - added Wrochna, highlighting the issue of spending on offshore wind energy.

The government plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure also emphasized that the multi-billion expenditures that the Polish energy transformation will consume may provide an impetus to build new industries, such as the nuclear sector .

"Poland, as a country that relatively quickly began preparing to build both a large nuclear power plant and small nuclear reactors, can be a leader in this area . Nuclear energy is a global business. If we acquire the appropriate competencies at home today, we will have a presence in other countries as well," concluded Wrochna.