Fixed gas price – so it’s more expensive! So how about electricity and gas for free?

Terrifying horror accounts have appeared in the media of companies (several hundred) that have signed “fixed price” gas supply contracts in 2022. Probably due to under-reading the provisions in the small print or under the influence of catastrophic forecasts of increases, or due to a lack of understanding of the mechanisms of paying for gas in Poland (by the way, no one understands it) – today they pay the same price… at which the dominant supplier sold in the year of signing the contract (by 800 PLN/MWh) and in the meantime gas has become more than three times cheaper (currently about 170 PLN/MWh). Due to the convoluted system of compensation and freezes, some of these companies have only now started paying the “normal” price for gas, which, in their case, is three times more. This will effectively ruin any confidence in the free energy and gas market in the future. No one in Poland will want to sign contracts according to some guaranteed tariffs. At the same time, there is now a widespread expectation created by politicians that electricity (and gas) are national necessities and must be cheap (so they must be subsidized). I’m constantly surprised that neither party has come up with the idea that electricity and gas could be offered entirely for free (that is, subsidized from taxes and the so-called printer) and distributed, for example, free gas on cards (and the logo of the ruling party on the card). In this way, we will come full circle and return to the proven methods of distributing goods from socialist Poland (cards in the 1980s, and sugar even earlier) and free electricity, water and rent as in Gaddafi’s Libya. Well, and who was bothered by that? 

Mining – the government will revoke regulations on new coal standards… bad news for asthmatics

Mining delegations oppose tightening the quality standards of coal sold for individual hearths. There is to be a new decree from the Ministry of Climate and Environment. As a reminder, about 50,000 people die prematurely in Poland every year due to diseases related to air pollution, which is mainly caused by low emissions (precisely from household hearths) and pollution from old cars. The conflict has not even been resolved by postponing the introduction of new standards (and banning the sale of the worst fuels – this is by no means coal, but certain types of coal that cause very high emissions indeed) – according to some miners’ unions, this is an attack on the income of Poles (and the income of miners). By the way, it was learned that this is a gateway to the introduction of Kazakh and Russian coal (which meets the new standards) to the Polish market, which interestingly summarized the discussion four years ago when there were strenuous protests against the import of coal from Russia, which was supposed to be of very low quality). Of course, I favour an absolute ban on importing coal from Russia (as well as carefully checking the origin of coal from Kazakhstan). However, I would still prefer that homes in Poland be fueled with better fuels and preferably ultimately remove coal from household hearths. Of course, again, some on the political side may see this as an assault on freedom (after all, anyone can poison themselves with their stove and the fumes from a 25-year-old diesel). Still, in line with the demands of certain philosophers, I would prefer that if they want this, they do it only in their own homes and not for others. However, it seems that the political crusade that the Green Deal will take away our coal (clearly of poor quality, but ours) carries more weight than that we will save a few hundred thousand lives in a decade. After all, “cheap coal” sounds proud, and we know how to erase dead people and cancer patients from the subconscious skillfully.