Europe 2020: Renewable Energy Plans - Government told to go back to drawing board

POLAND: Poland's draft National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) proposes that renewables will provide 15.5% of total energy use by 2020, slightly exceeding its 15% target.

But the plan itself is so poor that the Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA) has appealed to Prime Minister Donald Tusk to scrap it and start again.

Most organisations voiced negative opinions during the consultation process, listing substantial errors and pointing out the non-compliance with NREAP templates.

A major point of contention concerns the plan's outlook for wind energy. Polish wind power, all onshore, is allocated an 8.6% share of total electricity consumption in 2020 - significantly below its potential capacity, according to the PWEA. The association believes wind should increase from the proposed annual production of 13.54TWh in 2020 to 33TWh, including 4.5TWh of offshore wind.

The PWEA also urges that the turbines used must be state of the art rather than second-hand, and is warning that electricity networks and financial support are inadequate if the country is to reach its 2020 target.