Energy sources in gross power production in Poland 2035-2040

The Polish government plans to significantly increase the share of nuclear power in Poland's electricity production by 2040. However, the percentage of fossil fuels, i.e., hard coal and lignite, will decrease.

Consumption of energy in Poland

Energy is the key source of economic growth because many production and consumption activities involve energy as an essential input. The share of renewable energy in Poland’s gross final energy consumption increased steadily from 2005. It is expected to reach 28.5 percent by 2040. In the previous years, for example, in 2022, the share of space heating consumption in households amounted to 66 percent. This was a slight decrease from the last year but still less than in 2002 when shares peaked at 71.3 percent. On the other hand, the annual consumption expenditure of households on housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels in Poland increased by 10.4 billion zloty from the previous year, when the annual consumption expenditure of households reached its highest value in 2020.

Production of renewable energy sources

From 2011 to 2021, steady growth in renewable energy generation can be observed. The production increased by 157 percent, from 10.8 terawatt hours in 2011 to 27.8 terawatt hours in 2021. Photovoltaic panels produced electricity reaching over 3,934 gigawatt-hours in 2021, an increase of 101 percent compared to the previous year. There was an optimistic scenario for the development of the photovoltaic sector. It was based on the government’s PEP 2040 project, where the total capacity of the photovoltaic installation is expected to be over 20.2 GW in 2040. According to these plans, photovoltaics will account for about 25 percent of the installed capacity in 2040.