Poland's Grid Operator Not Activating Power Reserves Despite Record Heat

Despite forecasts of record-breaking temperatures potentially exceeding 40 degrees Celsius across Poland, the national power grid operator, Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE), is not planning to activate reserve power market mechanisms today. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced this, assuring the public that the situation is under control and experts do not anticipate a need to call upon reserve power generation.

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As I have been assured, Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE) are not planning to activate the mechanism of announcing a period of invocation on the power market today.

This assurance comes as Poland experiences a heatwave, increasing electricity demand. Tusk explained that the term "period of invocation" in the power market sounds mysterious but simply means there is no need to activate backup power sources. He noted that some power plants, like Kozienice and Połaniec, had previously reduced operations due to low water levels for cooling, but the current situation is deemed manageable.

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It sounds mysterious, but it means that, according to the assessment of experts in this field, there will be no need to call upon those who are in reserve, in backup to start energy production, because the situation is under control.

Experts emphasize that Poland's energy system is currently in a good state, capable of handling the high demand. However, they also stress the critical need for significantly more energy storage facilities to ensure long-term stability. The market for power is designed to function during such peak demand periods, and the operator's decision not to escalate to power supply stages indicates a stable situation. The last time power supply stages were utilized was in the summer of 2015 due to a heatwave and low river levels that threatened the national grid's stability.

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The Polish energy system is in a good situation despite high demand for electricity due to the heatwave, but it needs significantly more energy storage.