“Poland leading the EU in energy diversification,” says US climate envoy Kerry on Warsaw visit

Joe Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry has praised Poland for its efforts to diversify away from Russian energy sources and for taking significant steps towards a green energy transformation. During a visit to Warsaw, Kerry also praised Poland for the welcome it has shown to refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Following meetings with President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Kerry tweeted that “Poland is leading the EU in their efforts to diversify energy sources and end use of eliminate [sic] Russian hydrocarbons”.

Poland’s government has for years been seeking to reduce the country’s reliance on Russian energy, and those efforts have accelerated since the invasion of Ukraine. In March, Morawiecki announced a plan to end all fossil fuel imports from Russia by the end of this year.

In April, the government passed a law banning Russian coal imports, and later that month Gazprom cut off gas supplies to Poland after Warsaw refused to change payments to roubles. The government has also pushed its EU partners to reduce imports and criticised them for agreeing to pay in the Russian currency.

Meanwhile, Poland has been stepping up imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), in particular from the US, and is close to completing work on a new pipeline bringing Norwegian gas to Poland through the Baltic Sea.

During his visit, Kerry also noted that “Warsaw is becoming cleaner and greener” thanks to the widespread use of electric buses. He highlighted the fact that Poland now manufactures 46% of all electric buses in Europe, reports TVN.

Poland last year became the EU’s largest exporter of electric buses. Solaris, a firm based near Poznań, is Europe’s single biggest manufacturer of such vehicles.

However, although Polish cities are using an increasing number of electric buses in their public transport networks, critics note that, because around 70% of Poland’s electricity is generated from coal – by far the highest proportion in the EU – that limits the overall climate benefits.

Nevertheless, Poland’s government has been moving towards lower- and no-emissions sources of power, with the share of coal in the energy mix falling from 87% a decade ago. Renewables have increased from 7% to 17% over the same period.

The government also intends to build the country’s first nuclear power plants, and during his visit Kerry emphasised the Biden administration’s support for those plans. “Poland does not have oil or gas deposits, so nuclear energy is the right direction,” he said, quoted by the BiznesAlert news service.

Poland is “taking real steps to contribute to the energy transformation”, added Kerry, quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP). “This transformation leads to the creation of jobs, but also a cleaner and better future.”

The Polish government has, however, faced criticism within the EU for seeking to water down the bloc’s climate commitments. It was the only member state not to sign up to the European Commission’s goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050.

Last month, Warsaw declared opposition to EU plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, and said that it was seeking to build a coalition of countries against it.

At the start of his meeting with Morawiecki, Kerry also expressed thanks “for the leadership shown by Poland” in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“I believe that your nation deserves gratitude for the great generosity and kindness shown to refugees from Ukraine,” he said, quoted by PAP. “You have opened your hearts and your souls to those who are suffering so much.”

Poland has been the primary destination for those fleeing Ukraine, with millions crossing its border since Russia’s invasion. It is estimated that over a million remain as refugees in Poland, where they have received support from national and local authorities, businesses, NGOs and many individual Poles.

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.