Poland’s Climate Minister Michał Kurtyka emphasised the importance of nuclear energy for the country’s energy diversification, during a panel discussion organised by the World Nuclear Association and which included, among others, Rafael Mariano Grossi Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Minister Kurtyka underline how in Poland, unlike other Central and Eastern European countries, no nuclear power plants were built under the previous regime. For this reason, the Polish energy mix has a very high share of carbon.
“Currently, we are facing a huge challenge, which is the reconstruction of the power system,” he said. “Clean nuclear energy is to play a major role in it. It has a huge potential to achieve measurable and radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale.”
Especially in the context of the post-pandemic economic crisis – the development of nuclear energy opens up new opportunities for the Polish labour market.
“Nuclear energy is an opportunity for the Polish industry,” Mr Kurtyka explained. “It is an opportunity to develop specialised competencies, create new jobs and generate added value for the national economy.”
According to the newly-adopted National Energy Policy, renewable energy sources (RES) are expected to account for at least 23 per cent of the final gross energy consumption. At the same time, the Ministry of Climate expects to reduce the share of coal in electricity production to 56 per cent by 2030 and to 28 per cent by 2040. Both wind energy and nuclear power will be key to reach this target.