The head of the Polish government, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, has told the government’s territorial administration that the government has been importing coal from all over the world and that 4 million tons of the fuel are now in Polish ports, ready to be distributed.
He acknowledged that the war in Ukraine has created turbulence in supplies of coal and gas, but he said he felt that the government was on top of the situation.
According to Morawiecki, Poland has put itself on a war footing in terms of importing coal from other sources once the embargo on Russian coal became necessary. The government has already taken measures via legislation to ensure that a fixed price of coal of just over $300 per ton (PLN 1,500) for local governments was now available. However, it has assured that the price charged to domestic users would be lower and that legislation was being worked on to ensure the fair distribution of the coal.
According to the Polish Ministry of the Interior, there will be 50 distribution depots for coal set up by state fuel and coal companies. It will also be possible to pick up the coal directly from the ports. Local governments will be encouraged to get involved in distribution and to involve local companies in the process as well.
There has been anxiety over the availability of coal for 3 million domestic users in Poland and concerns over the country’s energy supply since much of the country’s power generation is dependent on coal. There has also been some controversy lately over local government involvement in the process of distributing and selling coal.
Polish local governments do have the power to enact certain measures on their own, and they frequently execute tasks delegated by the central government. However, until recently, they have not been involved in the distribution or sale of coal.
