Foreword: Joanna Pandera, President of Forum Energii
Over the past decade, Forum Energii has contributed to shaping Poland’s and Europe’s transition towards secure, clean and affordable energy. We have built expertise, gathered evidence and worked with national and European partners to test practical policy solutions. This work has supported progress not only in Poland, but also across the wider European energy transition.
Poland is the last country in the European Union that still produces hard coal and its economy’s emissivity is in the global top. However, the coal production and consumption is declining steeply. Poland is therefore working to support coal-dependent regions to become part of a cleaner, more secure and more competitive national energy and economy system. This transition must help these regions build strong and resilient local development models, while also responding to fast-changing conditions in Poland, the European Union and globally.
Forum Energii’s work on just transition has shown that Poland has valuable experience to share internationally. We have supported the transition with data-driven analyses underpinning development of Polish and European processes and institutions. We have also contributed to the creation of dialogues that enable a structured yet responsive transformation of local economies and believe in the value of sharing these experiences. At the same time, we recognise that perspectives on energy transition decisions can differ significantly between countries and regions. Our direct engagement in supporting the countries and regions to transition so that noone is left behind can only be meaningful and impactful if we understand why and how such choices have been made — and will continue to be made — in partner countries.
China, the world’s largest coal consumer and a leading producer of renewable energy technologies, is playing an increasingly influential role in the global energy outlook. It is also developing its own approaches to just transition of coal regions, while looking to the experiences of other countries. Forum Energii is ready to contribute constructively to this exchange. At the same time, we see the need to learn about and better understand China’s rapidly evolving energy and industry landscape.
It is with this conviction that we launch the project “Fact-checking energy transition thinking: the stories of Poland and China”. Implemented together with our project partner, Agora Energy China, the initiative brings together perspectives from Poland and China and seeks to foster a deeper understanding of current and future energy-related choices, including on the implementation of just transition policies.
This project offers a unique opportunity to follow developments in the energy sectors of both countries in a clear and structured way. It connects the broader dynamics of energy transition with the economic and political realities of coal transformation in Poland and China. It also helps explain how national choices and the international context shape the pace and quality of the shift from emissions-intensive coal industries towards more resilient clean-energy economies.
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Foreword: Kevin Tu, Managing Director, Agora Energy China
The global transition away from coal is one of the defining challenges of both climate policy and economic transformation. Across the world, countries are seeking pathways that can simultaneously strengthen energy security, maintain economic competitiveness, and advance long-term decarbonization targets. In both China and Poland, coal remains deeply embedded in energy systems, regional economies, and industrial development. At the same time, both countries are entering a new phase of transition.
China has committed to achieving carbon neutrality before 2060 and has recently incorporated “just transition” principles into its updated Nationally Determined Contribution. Poland, one of Europe’s most coal-dependent economies, is advancing its transformation within the framework of European Union climate policy and the Just Transition Mechanism. The experience of both countries demonstrate that the transition of coal regions is not only an environmental and technological challenge, but also a social and economic one that reguires long-term planning, institutional coordination, and broad stakeholder engagement.
At a time of geopolitical uncertainty, economic fragmentation, and growing trade tensions, international cooperation on energy transition is becoming more complex – yet the need for practical exchange and constructive dialogue remains as important as ever. Despite different political, economic, and institutional contexts, China and Poland face several common challenges: ensuring secure and affordable energy supplies, supporting industrial transformation, strengthening regional resilience, and managing the social consequences of structural change.
In this context, closer cooperation between Chinese and Polish institutions can create valuable opportunities for mutual learning. Poland’s experience with regional redevelopment, stakeholder participation, and transition financing offer important insights for international discussions on coal transition. At the same time, China’s large-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies, industrial transformation efforts, and evolving policy frameworks provide experience that are increasingly relevant beyond China. Strengthening analytical cooperation and policy exchange can help both sides better understand the complexities of transition under rapidly changing global conditions.
Over recent years, Agora Energy China has supported exchanges on coal transition and regional transformation between Chinese and European stakeholders through comparative research, technical dialogue, and cooperation with research institutions and policymakers. Together with Forum Energii, we aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation and contribute to a more informed and practical discussion on energy transition and just transition policies in both countries and beyond.
This joint publication, “Fact-checking energy transition thinking: the stories of Poland and China”, reflects that shared commitment. By bringing together perspectives from China and Poland, the project seeks to provide policymakers, researchers, industry representatives, and civil society stakeholders with a clearer understanding of the history, current developments, policy choices, and emerging trends in both countries’ energy transitions.
We hope this publication will support constructive dialogue, encourage evidence-based exchange, and help identify areas for future cooperation between Chinese and Polish institutions working on energy transition and regional development. Looking ahead, continued collaboration between Agora Energy China and Forum Energii can contribute to stronger mutual understanding and to the development of transition pathways that are not only low-carbon, but also economically resilient and socially inclusive.