On 16 April 2026, Reform Institute organised a round-table meeting aimed at outlining the role of process heat electrification in national strategic documents and presenting report In Search of a Roadmap: The Role of Strategic Documents in the Decarbonisation of Polish Industry. Publication of the report provided the backdrop for a discussion on the role played by the National Energy and Climate Plan and the Polish Development Strategy until 2035 in the decarbonisation of industry. Participants also discussed what Polish industrial policy should look like and what they expect from a potential strategy for the decarbonisation of industry. 

Opening speeches: 

Krzysztof Kobyłka, Fellow at the Reform Institute 

The electrification of process heat in the KPEiK and SRP2035 

Presentation of conclusions drawn from the report: 

• The architecture of strategic documents in Poland is inconsistent. KPEiK and SRP2035 are broadly aligned, but do not form a structured top-down system. There is a need to organise the hierarchy of strategic documents. In the industrial sector: the SRP should define the state’s medium-term priorities, which the forthcoming PEP2050 will then translate into actions in the energy sector. The KPEiK, on the other hand, should primarily fulfil a reporting and coordinating role at European Union level. 

• Currently, the KPEiK provides the most comprehensive picture of industrial decarbonisation. However, this cannot replace an industrial strategy. A horizontal strategic document dedicated to the state’s industrial policy is needed, which also outlines the approach to industrial decarbonisation: including a timetable, links to sectoral strategies, a list of strategic sectors, and the rationale for public support. 

• SRP2035 requires improvement in terms of implementation and coherence. The measures presented are too general, and the four-year plan does not include measures for industry. Care must be taken to ensure that industrial decarbonisation is properly addressed in SRP2035 and to supplement the KPI monitoring system in this area (currently, it only includes an indicator related to CCS). 

• Industrial electrification is under-represented in both documents – they recognise electrification as an important decarbonisation pathway, but do not accord it a status comparable to that of CCS/U or hydrogen. Direct electrification should be considered a pillar of industrial transformation; its prominence should be increased in SRP2035, subsequent versions of the KPEiK, and in PEP2050, and it should be linked to specific financial support instruments and an implementation timetable. 

• Both the KPEiK and the SRP2035 lack a detailed financial framework. Both documents contain announcements of support, but these are too general – without specifying the details of funding, budgets, criteria and the timetable for launching the instruments. This limits predictability for businesses and makes it difficult for them to make investment decisions. 

• A single ministry should be designated to be responsible for industrial policy and, ultimately, for the decarbonisation of industry. 

Monika Helak, Reform Institute 

Pact for Polish Industry 

Monika Helak presented the Pact for Polish Industry initiative. 

The Pact brings together Polish companies, associations and industry organisations, which are jointly calling for support for domestic industry. The Pact’s initiators and secretariat include the Reform Institute, Qemetica, Business&Science Poland and the Lewiatan Confederation. Among the Pact’s key demands are: 

• The development of an industrial transition strategy with a strong financial component. 

• Effective financing of investments in decarbonisation – a national support programme utilising funds from the EU ETS and EU funds, in accordance with the new state aid rules (CISAF). 

• Effective implementation of regulations that permanently reduce energy costs and support investment, including simplification, digitisation and standardisation of procedures, better coordination and strengthening of staff in government agencies, and favourable rules for cable pooling and direct lines. 

• Systemic financing of infrastructure and innovation for the implementation of decarbonisation technologies (electrification, RES, CCS, hydrogen, energy storage), recycling and the recovery of critical raw materials. 

• Investment in human capital – developing employees’ skills and creating new competencies, including through joint investment by the state and business. 

• Support for companies developing clean technologies, including operational assistance and tools tailored to innovative solutions (financing of high-risk projects, scaling up, outreach activities). 

• Commitment by the administration to a constant and open dialogue with industry. 

The Pact for Polish Industry is an initiative open to new members. We bring together entities interested in strengthening the role of clean industry in the economy by, among other things, developing mechanisms to support decarbonisation, devising regulatory simplifications and financing instruments. The Pact serves as a platform for stakeholders and ensures that the voice of Polish industry is heard by decision-makers. 

Tobiasz Adamczewski, Forum Energii 

How can costs for Polish industry be reduced quickly? 

Tobiasz Adamczewski presented the findings from Forum Energii’s latest report entitled The price of competitiveness. How can energy costs for Polish industry be reduced quickly?

• Poland’s energy-intensive industry pays more for electricity than industry in Western countries (25% more than Germany, 118% more than France). 

• Not every sector requires support. The share of energy costs in production costs ranges from 0.2% (electronics) to 70% (chemicals). 

• Annual expenditure to bring energy costs for energy-intensive industry in line with those in Germany and the Netherlands would amount to PLN 2.5 billion. 

• Existing and potential budgetary support schemes for energy-intensive industries include: 

1. ETS compensation (up to 25% of revenue from the sale of EUAs). Cost in 2023: PLN 2.7 billion; in 2024: PLN 2.9 billion. 

1. CISAF (Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework). Reducing energy costs from approx. €129/MWh to €97/MWh for industry would cost PLN 2.1 billion annually in Poland. 

1. Transfer of system charges to the state budget. Abolishing RES, cogeneration and capacity charges for energy-intensive industry would cost PLN 1.1 billion annually. 

Summary of stakeholder comments and the discussion panel 

• Electrification in glass production. The glass industry is of great importance in Poland. It is the second-largest producer of glass for panes and windows in Europe, and ranks around fifth in the production of packaging glass. In the glass industry, electrification is a pathway to decarbonisation under consideration. An example of Polish electrification technology that could be implemented is the design of an electric furnace with a capacity of 500 tonnes of glass per day, developed by Forglass. However, the current target solution for large glassworks will be hybrid installations, using both gas and electricity. This is due to the technological and economic limitations of fully electric furnaces: 

1. Electric furnaces have lower capacity (glass production capacity in t/h) than traditional furnaces. This means that fully electric furnaces are currently used only for the production of small-sized glass, such as packaging glass. 

1. Electric furnaces do not allow for the production of glass with special properties, which leads to further limitations on the applicability of this technology. 

1. The service life of an electric furnace (approx. 10 years) is shorter than that of traditional furnaces (15–20 years), which reduces their investment appeal. At the same time, this means that the gas-fired units currently being installed may not be replaced until the late 2030s. 

1. The unfavourable price ratio between electricity and natural gas translates into higher operating costs for electric furnaces. Companies will not invest in electrification until it becomes economically viable. 

1. There is a lack of affordable, green electricity. Currently, the entire glass sector consumes around 1 TWh of electricity annually. This is equivalent to the energy demand of a single large glassworks following full electrification, of which there are several dozen in Poland. 

• Electrification in the chemical industry. The potential for direct electrification in the chemical industry will be limited due to technological barriers such as high process temperatures and the presence of process emissions. 

• Large volumes of green hydrogen will be essential for the decarbonisation of the chemical industry. However, at present, there is a lack of access to cheap renewable hydrogen on the market that the industry could use. The chemical industry recognises the need for decarbonisation and would like to take decarbonisation measures, but the excessive costs of the transition are a barrier. 

• The industry’s RFNBO requirement is up for review. There are calls for a review of the EU’s RFNBO target for industry. The reasons cited are the price of RFNBO and its lack of availability on the market. As indicated by KPEiK, Poland will lack the green energy needed to produce RFNBO for domestic use. At the same time, potential import sources have not yet been identified, due to the slow development of RFNBO in other European countries as well. 

• The need for greater technological neutrality in support programmes. The industrial sector is extremely diverse and needs to decarbonise according to individual transition pathways. These pathways will often also incorporate transitional solutions and hybrid technologies. With support from public funds, industry could undertake investments that realistically reduce CO2 emissions; however, access to support is often hindered by the limited range of technologies covered by support instruments. This issue affects, among others, the future Competitiveness Fund. 

• Sectors exporting goods must decarbonise more quickly. Companies exporting to Western markets are more often required to compete with others in terms of the carbon footprint of their products, due to the more ambitious climate targets in force in some EU countries than in Poland. When deciding where to locate new plants (production capacity), they will be guided to a much greater extent by access to cheap, green energy. 

• Support under CISAF is insufficient. The support that industry can receive under CISAF, after taking into account the need for reinvestment, effectively covers only 10–20% of total electricity consumption. Furthermore, the CISAF timeframe is merely 3 years, whereas investments in direct electrification technologies require support over a minimum of 10 years for industry to be able to make an investment decision. This is also significant from the perspective of the bankability of investments – financial institutions require predictable and long-term cash flows. 

• To electrify industry, the construction of zero-emission electricity sources (renewables, nuclear) must be accelerated. One measure influencing this pace could be ‘unlocking’ direct lines. Currently, the level of the solidarity levy means that direct lines are unprofitable and there is no real development of this concept in Poland. 

• Tools encouraging industry to be flexible should be developed. The measures mentioned included changing the structure of the capacity charge, introducing tariffs that better reward consumers who respond to the current situation in the electricity system, as well as local flexibility markets. 

• At the same time, in the view of representatives from certain industrial sectors, even a small degree of flexibility in the form of a sudden 5–10% change in energy consumption can have a long-term impact on the quality of production processes. Furthermore, when using hybrid technologies, a return to the target energy mix (electricity/gas) can take up to several weeks. Consequently, it was pointed out that flexibility should first be sought in other sectors of the economy. 

• In the case of transition policy, it is necessary to move from diagnosis to implementation. The potential directions for the decarbonisation of industry are already known, and it is clear that its decarbonisation will require a significant investment effort (according to the WAM scenario, PLN 177 billion is needed by 2040). An industrial strategy is needed that will detail the necessary actions (such as pilot projects and operational support instruments), designate the entities responsible for their implementation, and specify where to obtain the public funds necessary for their realisation. 

• Industrial policy must be discussed with industry. The industrial sector is far more diverse than other sectors of the economy. The decarbonisation of individual industrial sectors will face specific technological and regulatory challenges. Therefore, any measures designed for industry should be discussed extensively with it. It is essential to collect data that will help understand the characteristics of individual branches of the sector, including, amongst other things, the actual costs of electricity and the electricity consumption profiles of businesses. 

• It is important to build an appropriate narrative around the transition. According to public opinion polls, the majority of Poles support the energy transition if it is presented in the context of energy security, resource independence and economic competitiveness. A positive example of building such public support is the nuclear power plant project. The need to carry out a similar public acceptance campaign for investments in onshore wind farms was also highlighted. 

Final conclusions 

• The industrial sector expresses a willingness to undertake decarbonisation measures, but the excessive costs of the transition act as a barrier. Representatives of the sector point out that the available support instruments are insufficient and do not meet the diverse needs of individual industrial sectors. High electricity prices do not provide incentives for investment in direct electrification. Conversely, the prospects for the use of RFNBO hydrogen in industry are subject to significant uncertainty due to its price and limited market availability. 

• The sector’s transformation requires the development of a comprehensive industrial strategy. At present, the most comprehensive overview of the directions of the decarbonisation transition is provided by the KPEiK; however, this document focuses primarily on technologies such as RFNBO hydrogen and CCS/U, whilst giving insufficient consideration to electrification measures. Given its role (reporting and coordination at European Union level), this is not a document that can replace an industrial strategy. 

Key recommendations from meeting participants 

The creation of an industrial strategy, which will detail the necessary actions to be taken, designate the entities responsible for their implementation, and specify where to source the public funds required for their realisation. Such a strategy should be developed with the broad participation of representatives from various branches of the sector. 

Incorporating greater technological neutrality into support instruments, allowing industry to undertake the most effective measures for a given sector in terms of reducing CO2 emissions. 

Expanding the catalogue of measures in the National Energy and Climate Plan (KPEiK) regarding industrial decarbonisation to include direct electrification. Operationalising the identified measures: setting out a timetable, identifying responsible entities and establishing a funding framework. 

Developing an appropriate narrative around the energy transition, with particular regard to energy security, raw material independence and the competitiveness of the economy. 

Presentations and summary of the meeting can be downloaded here.