ENTSOG GRIP BEMIP 2014-2023 / Main Report

2.6 Poland

ENERGY POLICY

The Poland’s Energy Policy towards 2030 was adopted by the Council of Ministers in November 2009. The document drafted by the Ministry of Economy contains a long-term strategy of the energy sector development and demand forecasts for energy sources. The Policy identifies 6 main directions of development in the energy sector: energy efficiency, security of supply, diversification of energy production, renewable energy, competitiveness and limitation of impact of energy on environment. Natural gas constitutes an important element of the national energy strategy. The document provides for further development of the gas market, inter alia through the stable outlook for investment in transmission system and cross-border connections, as well as diversification and security of supply. According to the Policy, the total demand for natural gas in Poland is expected to increase (mostly in the power gen- eration sector). Value chain of the natural gas market in Poland consists of 6 segments: \\ 1 exploration and production, \\ 2 transmission, \\ 3 storage, \\ 4 distribution, \\ 5 wholesale, and \\ 6 retail trade. All activities related to the transmission of gas in Poland are fully separated from generation and sales operations. Gas Transmission Operator GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. (GAZ-SYSTEM S.A.) was established in 2004. The company is responsible for the transportation of natural gas and the operation of the transmission network in Poland. GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. operates on the basis of a licence issued by the Presi- dent of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) which is valid until 2030. In addition, the company performs the function of an independent system operator (ISO) on the Polish section of the Yamal pipeline. The capital group of Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG) holds currently a domi- nant position on the market. It is the major importer and gas producer in the country. It owns and operates all UGS facilities connected to the transmission system in Poland via the storage company (Operator Systemu Magazynowania). Furthermore, PGNiG has the largest share in the wholesale and retail markets and it owns the major DSO that remains within the vertically integrated structure of PGNiG. The role of other players active on the market has been increasing with new measures which aim to boost the competition. It needs to be noted that the new transmission network code developed by GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. in 2012 and 2013 in- troduced significant changes that enable further liberalisation and development of the Polish gas market and the harmonisation with the standards applied among the European TSOs. A similar impact on the functioning of the gas market in Poland will have further development of the natural gas exchange in Poland, introduction of the Gas Release Program and infrastructure development by GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. The Gas Release Program is implemented and supervised by the Polish NRA (Energy Regulatory Office) based on the newly introduced energy law. It puts an obligation on PGNiG to gradually sell increasing volumes of its gas through the Polish Power Exchange. PLAYERS

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Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan GRIP 2014–2023