Poland plans to offer households a one-off payment of 3,000 zlotys ($635) to help cover the rising cost of coal, according to a draft bill published late on Monday, as the country faces surging energy prices as a result of the war in Ukraine. The proposal was accepted by the government on Tuesday afternoon and will now face a vote in parliament.
Due to their high quality, Russian coal imports were mainly used by individual households and heating plants in smaller towns before they were banned in April.
The subsequent spike in prices cause by the shortfall has left many Poles fearing they will be unable to heat their homes in winter.
"The proposed regulation aims to provide support for a large group of households in Poland, including the poorest in terms of energy, in covering part of the costs resulting from the increase in prices on the energy market," the draft bill said.
The subsidy will be available to households where coal is the main source of heat, and the deadline for submitting applications would be Nov. 30.
The proposal was accepted by the government on Tuesday afternoon and will now face a vote in parliament.
Poland depends on coal for some 80% of its electricity generation. Although it is the European Union's largest producer of the fuel, it still imported more than 8 million tonnes of Russian coal in 2021 and is facing a shortfall of as much as 11 million tonnes this year due to declining local production.
It introduced subsidies designed to keep prices for smaller buyers at last year's level earlier this month, but retailers are reluctant to participate in the system as payments are not compensating for the surge in market prices.
It has also taken steps to boost imports from other sources.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Shutterstock