In the recent weeks a number of conferences have taken place. Their participants: industry representatives, scientists, politicians and journalists have discussed the question of what the energy security actually is. The opinions voiced during those debates where similar, despite the fact that the participants represented different social backgrounds and political options.

I believe that energy security is very important from the point of view of the development of the Polish and European economies. Our customers have to be sure of reliable supplies of energy at acceptable prices, but at the same time profitable, allowing good performance and development of the energy sector. Only with a comprehensive development strategy for the years to come, indicating the demand forecasts and preferred sources of energy supply will this take place in Poland. Fundamental assumptions of this strategy should not depend on fluctuation of economic and political situation for some years.

Energy security is becoming more important especially now, after last year’s failures and in the face of tensions in the regions where most of energy used on our continent originates. We are observing a certain degree of nervousness both on the part of the participants of the energy markets as well as European institutions. Liberalisation of the markets resulted in prices decrease. Simultaneously, investment risks in production capacity and infrastructure have considerably increased. The situation is becoming even more complicated in the face of tightening of the emission norms.

Despite the growing demand for energy, many companies nowadays tend to avoid investments. This can be a threat to safety in the long run. Energy resources of some countries have decreased to a dangerous level. Unfortunately, this particular problem also applies to Poland. With further investment stagnation in the sector, we should expect a possibility of power shortages in a few years. One should also notice efforts on the part of the European Union in support of the growth of energy production coming from the local energy resources. This move will make Europe less dependant on supplies from outside of the continent, at the same time giving a major chance to the Polish energy and mining sectors.