The Politics and Policy of CCS in Poland

As the political mainstream gives praise to Carbon Capture and Storage research and development, the further from the centre one goes, the more the enthusiasm wanes.

With hard coal and lignite accounting for nearly 95% of its energy output, Poland is a coal-based economy. Coal has provided Poland a cheap domestic source of energy. This makes it a hugely strategic asset for a country without nuclear power or sizeable amounts of renewables at its disposal. At the same time, being in line with the European Union and its environmental ambitions is a key political issue. In light of all this, there's no wonder CCS is heralded as a promise for the future, and that Polish expertise on the field could produce "a Polish Nokia", as Henryk Jezierski, a deputy environment minister and Poland's chief geologist, put it.

More than for other countries, the technology of Carbon Capture and Storage could be pivotal - if proven successful. The Polish government, who seeks to secure funding for test facilities at Polish plants, welcomes European investments in CCS research. Recently, the European Commission acquired control over the allocation of CCS research support, which is yet to be done. The ambition is to spread the funds over a wide array of European test sites. The largest single CO2 emitter in Europe, the Bełchatów lignite-fired plant, has been preparing for a large test site for a few years. The company will now go ahead with its CCS plan using EU Economic Recovery Package funds.

Something for everybody?

The Polish centre-right government has adopted a programme for Polish energy politics until 2030, including efforts to support energy efficiency, clean coal technologies and a nuclear programme. According to the plan, Poland's coal deposits will continue to form the backbone of the energy supply, but steps will be taken in various directions to diversify energy sources.

The Ministry of the Environment welcomes CCS as one of many Clean Coal Technologies. It stresses the experimental nature of CCS and says it will not be the overall solution on the problem of CO2 emissions. The current research phase would also have to be completed, before a broader debate and a possible commercial scale introduction could take place.

The general energy strategy has been subject to criticism from various sides, because of its "catch all" nature - while it appears to be something for everyone, too many priorities means no priorities. Moreover, when looking at other parts of the political spectrum, CCS is not held in a high regard.

A matter of belief - and strategy

CCS will make coal more expensive - but also more acceptable in the years to come? Business lawyer Tomasz Chmal acts as energy expert for the Conservative think tank Sobieski Foundation. He thinks Poland should accept external funds for CCS research, but that the cost of the new technology must not be placed on the consumer. Chmal does not share the view that climate change is caused by human activity, but as the world has made up its mind, he says he must act accordingly in his recommendations. While CCS could make coal power more acceptable to some - it is also a matter of pure economy. If the worries of climate change are taken out of the picture, CCS serves no apparent purpose. The main selling point of coal power is the price - and CCS would bring prices up. But, as the EU and leaders of the world wants to address climate change and spend research funds on CCS, Chmal still recommends that Poland should take the opportunity to expand its research in the field. On the whole, he would like to see a more diversified set of power sources on the Polish market. Chmal is opposed to an increased dependence of Russian gas; instead a nuclear programme should be launched as soon as possible.

At odds with efficiency?

Energy efficiency, in power plants, in the industry and in the consumer end, is a method heralded as a chief way to combat emissions. This view goes across the board - it would be hard to find anyone wanting less efficient power plants. With coal accounting for such a towering part of the energy output, the efficiency of coal-fired power plants is bound to be of interest even to Greens. Energy efficiency is at the very core of the means propagated by the Polish Green party, Zieloni 2004. Its main communication strategy is to continuously stress the economical benefit of going green, at a personal as well as a societal level.

CCS, on the other hand, is hardly a priority for the party. Party co-chair Dariusz Szwed stresses that CCS is still in an experimental phase - the given time frame will not allow CCS to help against the two-degree goal. Not surprisingly, renewable energy sources are championed by the Greens. Furthermore, Szwed also points to the decrease in efficiency by adding the CCS process, which goes against the goal of an overall upgrade to more energy saving systems. A better way would be to replace ageing plants and structures, and to expand cogeneration, combined heating and power. CCS should be placed after all this measures in order of priorities, Szwed states after being asked to come up with a ranking. Further down the list is only nuclear power, which is to say never.

As a spokesperson for an environmental organization outside party politics, Jacek Bożek of the Gaia Club would first of all stress the need for a fundamental change in lifestyle. Much of the needs of today's society are not really needs but based on greed. CCS is in his opinion something put forward by the government, without regards for costs, risks or public opinion. A result of a simple conclusion: We have coal today - we will have CCS tomorrow. Bozek wants dialogue between environmentalists, politicians and economists, and calls for innovation in ways of thinking and in science. CCS has not been subject to a broad debate, a societal debate that Bozek would like to see focus on the bigger picture - how energy should be produced in the future.

Possible - but costly

Apart from the economical reality, the scientific question remains if CCS can be implemented in a large scale. Professor Marek Jarosiński is the director of the Department of Geological Mapping at the Polish Geological Institute, which deals with the CO2 storage issue. The Department coordinates the first stage of demonstration project by the Bełchatów Power plant, and acts a leader of the consortium for assessment of formations and structures for safe CO2 geological storage, including monitoring. Professor Jarosiński judges that the geological conditions of storage are good enough. But, he reminds, criticism has not been as much about the storage as for the capture, which is not within his field. As the main problem he too points at the economy, and CCS should therefore be a worst-case strategy. Jarosiński states he does not share the ideology of the "Winning the Battle Against Global Climate Change" statement or the two-degree target, but refers to a statement from the Geological Science Committee of the Polish Academy of Science, calling for more research to determine the cause of global warming. He says many in the geological community in Poland see CCS as a profitable object for research. Himself, he would like to see investments in other CCTs, as well as in nuclear power, smaller bio gas and wind power plants. Also natural coal sequestation sites such as forests and wetlands should be protected and accounted for in the CO2 balance of the country.

Economy, security - and sustainability

The politics and policy seem on the governing side to be directed by the economical reality of coal dependency on the one side, and the importance of international relations on the other. CCS is envisioned as a way to make coal - still an economic and strategic must for many years to come - acceptable. On the other hand, Poland's low energy efficiency opens the field for other solutions, attractive to price conscious, climate-sceptic Conservatives and zero-emission striving ecologists alike. Energy efficiency is brought to the fore both by Greens and economical interests, with important differences in end goals. Coal power needs to get more efficient to stay cheap, but energy efficiency is also the easiest and most attractive way to lower emissions. Apart from economy and control of emissions, energy security is and remains a key point for Poland. Coal is an ingenious energy source, and given the Polish history this is a stronger point than for many other European countries. A more diverse supply of power is essential, but an increased dependence on Russian gas is not an option. Coal will still be a strategic asset, even if carbon capture will make it more expensive.

The progress of CCS research will be closely monitored, but the problem remains to fit the process with the time frames of emission cuts as well as with the economic realities. Beside the points made earlier: If coal is no longer cheap - why use it at all, one might ask? On the other hand, grounds for optimism lie in the scale of coal-fired power production, as the Bełchatów plant now developing CCS capability delivers up to 20% of the Polish energy output. Still, apart from the opinions of professionals and politicians, a general debate about localisation and possible side effects of large-scale CCS implementation has yet to surface.

Text: GABRIEL STILLE

Photo: KATARINA STOLTZ