Renewables dominate Poland's electricity capacity

At the end of 2025, renewable energies accounted for more than half of Poland's installed power generation capacity for the first time. Their share of actual electricity production also exceeded the 30 percent mark for the first time. This was announced by the Ministry of Climate and Environment on February 17.

Between 2020 and 2025, the energy transition accelerated significantly. Green energy sources now play a much greater role in the electricity system. Emission intensity fell at times to around 650 grams of CO₂ equivalent per kilowatt hour. A few years ago, it was still around 800 grams.

Nevertheless, Poland remains heavily dependent on coal. Hard coal and lignite continue to account for more than half of the energy mix. This means that the country is still one of the most emission-intensive electricity producers in the EU.

A profound shift is not expected until the early 2030s, when Poland's first nuclear power plant is scheduled to go into operation.

Solar boom drives expansion

The expansion of renewable energies has been rapid. In 2020, they accounted for 24.1 percent of total installed capacity. By 2025, this share had risen to over 50 percent. Total capacity grew from 12,490 to 37,777 megawatts.

Solar energy grew particularly strongly. Installed photovoltaic capacity rose from 3,960 megawatts in 2020 to 24,808 megawatts in 2025. Wind power was also expanded, with capacity increasing from 6,402 to 10,550 megawatts.

Actual electricity production from renewable sources also increased significantly. In 2020, it stood at 28,173 gigawatt hours. Five years later, it was 54,743 gigawatt hours. This corresponds to almost a doubling.

The share of renewable energies in total electricity generation rose from 17.8 percent in 2020 to 31.4 percent in 2025. This means that almost every third kilowatt hour produced in Poland now comes from green sources.

This article was produced in cooperation with our partner bne intelliNews.