“We do not face immediate shortages in fuel supplies,” Poland’s deputy energy minister, Wojciech Wrochna, said, as Europe grapples with the fallout from the war with Iran and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Wrochna, secretary of state at Poland’s Ministry of Energy and government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, told TVP World’s World Talks program that Poland has been hit by the global fuel crisis but is “in a relatively good situation” compared with some other EU member states. Poland’s fuel stockpiles are “effectively fulfilled,” he said, meaning drivers should still be able to buy fuel at the pump. The bigger problem, he added, is price pressure. Warsaw has introduced special legislation to cap fuel prices, a move Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said will remain in place despite earlier hopes that a ceasefire could ease market tensions. “So as of now, the situation is good,” Wrochna said. “But of course, we are watching what is going to happen in the Middle East, because if the crisis lasts much longer, the global crisis will only worsen.” Jet fuel under pressure Wrochna said the most acute pressure is already visible in aviation fuel, just before the summer holiday season, when charter flights increase demand. “We are now starting to see shortages when it comes to jet fuel,” he said. “Very recently, we have started to see shortages at several European airports. So when it comes to jet fuel, the situation is getting really serious.” He said Poland produces around 70% of the diesel it needs domestically, while importing the remaining 30%. But Europe’s broader problem, he argued, is that several refineries were closed in recent years as EU policy shifted toward decarbonization and phasing out fossil fuels. “This is why we do not produce as much diesel as we need here in Europe,” he said. Nuclear and wind Asked about Poland’s long-term energy security, Wrochna said the government is preparing to update the Polish nuclear program, which envisages 6 to 9 GW of nuclear capacity. He said Poland has invited four potential technology providers to early talks on the country’s second nuclear plant: Westinghouse from the US, France’s EDF, South Korea’s KHNP and Canada’s Candu technology. Three of them, excluding the Koreans, have responded positively. The government hopes to select a preferred strategic partner “mid‑2027,” he said, though the exact timing will depend on the procurement process and feedback from bidders. Wrochna also said offshore wind, nuclear power, onshore wind and photovoltaics are changing Poland’s energy map, shifting new low‑carbon generation toward the Baltic coast. But that shift also creates a challenge for coal‑dependent Silesia. “The coal mines are going to be closed,” he said. “And we need to also find a way to help the region in the transition.”
