The results of the European Union summit in Brussels are the best Christmas gift for us – the power industry people. New technologies: CCS, carbon dioxide sequestration or emissions trading have stopped to sound in such a sinister way. It does not excuse us from thinking of the new power industry which is the sole alternative despite the fact it is postponed and supported with resources coming from the so-called solidarity mechanism (PLN 60 billion from 2013 to 2020).

We created various clusters and organizations. Today there is a time for summing up and commencing the start-up stages of the projects. The Southern Poland Power Company put forward a proposal of poligeneration in Blachownia. This is a classic example of clean coal technology which has a chance to become the leading solution not only for Polish but also for The Union coal based power industry.

Realization of the poligeneration project based on coal gasification requires time and financial outlays. Some may say it is daydreaming. Yel let me go back to not so distant past when in 1988 to 1989 there were widespread talks on the necessity of capturing sulphul from the exhaust fumes. Who took it seriously back then? Nowadays exhaust fumes desulphurising installations are something obvious and ordinary. I do hope CO₂ will share the same fate. It is only a matter of time. Presently there is an opportunity to alter and modernize power industry, to replace old exploited power blocks with new environment-friendly ones characterised by higher efficiency. According to the European Union Parliament member Professor Jerzy Buzek the solidarity mechanism should, among others, serve this purpose. Perhaps, quite soon our company investment plans will become simpler as far as rtheir execution is concerned. The forthcoming year may bring answers to all these questions.

With the approaching Christmas ans New Year 2009 I would like to wish all our employees and their families health and family happiness and as far as their work is concerned I wish you not only adequate remuneration but also job satisfaction. A good job constitues a higher value for the company – and this I wish to all our shareholders. To Polish power industry I would like to wish a year during which regulatory issues and legislation concerning the field will be of superior quality and politicians and policy makers will always bear in mind the power safety of the country and that wthey will believe Polish power industry people can take care of it as long as they are provided with conditions facilitating the realisation of the existing programs.

Jan Kurp