Polish parliament passes bill to cap coal prices

Poland’s parliament has approved a measure that puts a cap on the price of coal sold in the country to protect households from rising energy costs fueled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials have said. 

The lower house of Poland's parliament in session on Thursday, October 20, 2022.

Photo: PAP/Mateusz Marek

In a final vote, Polish MPs on Thursday backed the proposal after agreeing to make some changes to the original draft as recommended by the upper house of parliament, the Senate, state news agency PAP reported.

❗️Parlamentarne prace nad ustawą o dystrybucji węgla przez samorządy dobiegły końca - #Sejm przyjął część poprawek Senatu.

👉Ustawa o zakupie preferencyjnym paliwa stałego dla gospodarstw domowych trafi do podpisu @prezydentpl. pic.twitter.com/LOiB16MCRP

— Sejm RP🇵🇱 (@KancelariaSejmu) October 27, 2022

Under the measure, households will be able to buy coal from local governments for no more than PLN 2,000 (EUR 420) per tonne, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

Meanwhile, local governments will be able to purchase coal from producers and wholesalers for no more than PLN 1,500 (EUR 312) per tonne, according to officials.

The bill, which the country’s ruling conservatives say aims to protect Polish families from the effects of rising prices of energy in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now goes to President Andrzej Duda for signing into law.

In August, Poland's government offered a one-off allowance of PLN 3,000 (EUR 620) to all families that use coal to heat their homes.

(gs)

Source: PAP