12 thousand PLN for heating every winter? The expert has no illusions: It was already cheaper

The growing demand for energy and the rising costs of energy raw materials translate increasingly, while limiting production from existing conventional sources, into an increased risk of energy poverty in Poland – said mining expert Jerzy Markowski.

As Markowski, former deputy minister of industry and then economy, said in a Wednesday interview on Radio Piekary, the current winter conditions again show the shortage of coal for heating purposes in Poland.

“We burn dear onescoal from Colombia

He noted that the Polish market for fuel coal, i.e. thick coal, is still approximately 8 million tons, while the capacity of the Polish mining industry in this respect, due to the mining technology used, is 1.5-2 million tons.

“The result is that we burn coal from Colombia and – let's call it – Kazakhstan. And by the way, as can be seen in the fuel depots, we burn coal by almost 100%. more expensive than it was a year ago, and maybe even three months ago“u,” he pointed out.

The specter of energy poverty

He emphasized that this is increasingly translating into the phenomenon of energy poverty in society: more and more people will not be able to afford to buy enough heat carriers to meet their needs. He calculated that an average family using coal for heating needs 4-6 tons of it per season. At a price of over PLN 2,000. PLN per tonne, this means a cost of approximately PLN 12,000. zloty. “It won't be cheaper,” said the former deputy minister of economy.

He specified that energy poverty could occur for two reasons:

1. or society will not be able to afford to buy sufficient amounts of energy or fuel,
2. or the economy will not be able to produce enough energy for social and economic needs.

“We are on the way to both,” said Markowski. He cited data from Friday, January 9, 2026, when Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE) at 11.45 recorded a record demand for power in the national power system: 29.2 GW gross. He noted that only a small part of this demand could be provided by renewable sources at that time (approx. 5.4 GW – PAP).

This is, unfortunately, a direction towards energy poverty from the point of view of the inability to produce energy – he said.

He added that this phenomenon was still barely felt last year and it will be similar in 2026, but already in 2027 it will be more difficult due to restrictions on the operation of lignite mines, from which approximately 15-20 percent is currently produced. energy.

The absurdity of imports and full dumpsthat

He pointed out that the share of the cost of energy fuels, especially hard coal and lignite, in the cost of energy production is approximately 20 percent, and the rest is other fees: from transmission to taxes. “This is a task for people who create the state's energy policy and must ensure that this basic civilization commodity is available. People are not supposed to care, people are supposed to be provided with heat and light,” he concluded.

On Wednesday, the expert also provided estimates according to which coal imports to Poland last year amounted to 8-9 million, which means one quarter of domestic production – with approximately 6 million tons still lying in the mine dumps (mainly fines for the energy industry – PAP). “This is the dilemma of the Polish mining industry,” Markowski emphasized.

Informing on Monday about the record demand of the national power system as of January 9 this year, PSE emphasized that they do not expect any problems with balancing the power system in the near future. (PAP)

mtb/mmu/