Poland's declining coal dependence risks a looming power deficit

For Poland, building coal-fired electricity generation during the Soviet era was an easy option as indigenous supplies were in abundance. However, due to European Union environmental legislation, namely the Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD), European countries have been forced to review their carbon intensive electricity production methods and consequently Poland will have to close 8.1GW of thermal capacity by 2015. The EU decarbonisation policy and broad legislative frameworks are key,