Poland needs 700-900 bln euros to reach zero emissions -minister

Poland needs 700-900 billion euros ($760-$980 billion) to reach a net-zero emissions economy, Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchorzewski said, adding that it was a "fantasy" that it could reach that goal by 2050. In June Poland led a handful of eastern European Union states in blocking a push by France and most others to commit the bloc to net zero emissions by mid-century.

"Of course, these costs would obviously be spread over years. But I treat it as a fantasy when someone says that Poland is able to reach the zero-emission goal by 2050," state-run news agency PAP quoted Tchorzewski as saying on Tuesday. Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in June that Poland wants a strong compensation package for its industry in exchange for agreeing to commit the European Union to a more ambitious target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

According to PAP, Tchorzewski said he had told EU energy ministers that Poland would not raise its goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix to 21% by 2030. "Poland wants to catch up with Europe, not to perish. Each percent means huge costs," PAP quoted Tchorzewski as saying. ($1 = 0.9180 euros)

Also Read: Poland plans new coal mines despite EU's call for carbon neutrality