Poland does not intend to give up the use of coal quickly, the Government announced on Wednesday, criticizing the state company PGE for moving a decade ahead of the 2040 carbon neutrality target, reports Reuters.

According to an agreement signed by the Executive with the unions, Poland intends to exploit coal until 2049.

PGE, the largest utility company in Poland, has informed that it wants to meet its environmental objectives sooner and is betting on renewable energy, according to Agerpres.

Given that more than 70% of its electricity is generated on the basis of coal, Poland is a country at the tail end of the energy transition process and is currently under pressure to join the EU strategy to reach climate neutrality by 2050.

Experts say that the use of coal in electricity generation is not sustainable in the long term, against the backdrop of rising costs and the European Union’s green policy.

The energy policy of the Polish Government, implemented by the Ministry of State Assets, does not imply the acceleration of the abandonment of coal”, informs the ministry in a press release, referring to the updated strategy of PGE.

“The Ministry of State Assets expects the decisions of the Government’s energy policy to be put into practice by all the energy companies where the state is a shareholder, and these decisions must be reflected in their investment strategies and activities,” the release states.