The office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure reports that six special energy zones will soon be established in the north of Poland. Factories to be built in these areas will be able to expect lower electricity bills.

The zones are initially located near Słupsk, Suwałki, Ostaszewo, Szubin and Olsztyn. They will be intended for electricity consumers with an annual consumption of more than 100 GWh and those planning to build energy storage facilities. The relevant amendments to the law are already under way; according to the plan, the zones will be established at the beginning of 2024.

The location of the zones in northern Poland is related to the fact that this is where new large power plants, offshore wind farms and nuclear units will be built in the coming years. An investor who builds his industrial plant in such a zone will be able to expect a reduction in the quality charge and the variable network charge, so that his electricity bills will be lower than outside the energy zone. In some locations, investors will also be able to obtain a connection to the Gaz-System gas network.

“Thanks to the special energy zones, investors will gain a significant incentive to locate investments in the most favourable locations from the point of view of the electricity system. They will be able to count on lower electricity bills in return. This solution meets the expectations of industry representatives”, says Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska, government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure.

Over the next decade, it is planned to decommission a significant proportion of coal-fired power plants – including ones in the centre and south of the country – and at the same time to launch large sources in the north. The location of large consumers of electricity close to generation sites, combined with the construction of energy storage facilities, will improve the efficiency of transmission infrastructure use and reduce the need for grid investment.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński