Energy Cooperatives as a Tool for Municipal Transformation
During the panel “Energy Cooperatives as a Tool for the Municipality’s Energy Transition”, we discussed whether and how local communities can realistically build energy self-sufficiency. The panel was moderated by Łukasz Pałucki, President of the National Auditing Union of Energy Cooperatives. The discussion featured: Piotr Dragan – Mayor of the Wisznice Commune, Krzysztof Sobczak – Mayor of the Wieniawa Commune, Janusz Kowalski – Member of the Polish Parliament, Krzysztof Witkowski – Mayor of the Town of Koło, Andrzej Czerwiński – energy expert and former Member of Parliament, Tomasz Mironczuk – Managing Director of Bank Ochrony Środowiska S.A.
The panel began with a discussion on whether energy cooperatives can actually become a real tool for Poland’s energy transition. Janusz Kowalski pointed out the need to strengthen and improve cooperative institutions, as they can help Poland achieve energy independence.
Moderator Łukasz Pałucki emphasized that cooperatives operate on different scales and under different conditions, so it is impossible to impose one universal model of operation on all municipalities.
Piotr Dragan spoke about his experience attempting to establish a cooperative. Three municipalities were ready to join, but five co-owners of the company could not reach an agreement, which caused formal and organizational problems. Nevertheless, the municipality underwent an energy transition through investments in photovoltaics. In winter, costs were around 17,000 PLN, and in summer only about 1,000 PLN, demonstrating that the system was very profitable and practically “financially self-sustaining”.
Krzysztof Sobczak pointed to the potential of clusters (especially those based on heat from renewable sources) and viewed cooperatives as a pathway to energy self-sufficiency. He mentioned plans to build two turbines and four installations, but also the suspension of some activities due to insufficient subsidies.
Krzysztof Witkowski, Mayor of Koło, was skeptical about creating energy cooperatives in larger cities. In his view, they would be difficult to implement. He also noted that geothermal energy production in Poland is still “in its infancy,” as profitability is hard to achieve. He observed that the reduction of heat tariffs to about 15% means that local governments are seeking ways to stabilize the system.
Energy expert Andrzej Czerwiński countered that cooperatives can operate in both municipalities and cities — they improve energy security, and investments can yield returns quickly. He identified the main barriers as a lack of knowledge, grant-related chaos, and the need for legislative changes. He also stressed that energy should not be treated as a way for local governments to generate revenue, because its role is to ensure stability and security.
Mayor Krzysztof Witkowski, however, noted that the perspectives of the panelists differ significantly. Responding to the question about what powers his town, he said it relies mainly on district heating, that is, pipelines that supply 90% of multi-family housing. In his view, forming a cooperative would be very difficult, even impossible. He pointed out other ways of sourcing energy and emphasized that subsidies are not an obstacle — they can be obtained by both the state and local governments.
Tomasz Mironczuk presented the financing perspective: cooperatives can use loans, bonds, and good organization. He emphasized that energy is a commodity and that a cooperative is not a charitable activity — demand must cover supply, so development should not rely solely on subsidies. He also outlined the differences between cooperatives, clusters, and companies: a cooperative does not maximize profit, whereas a company does.
At the end, Member of Parliament Janusz Kowalski took the floor again. In his view, 2027 will bring the biggest crisis related to EU structural funds, and this is the last moment to reject the Green Deal. According to the MP, the energy crisis is also affected by the artificial taxation of coal-generated energy. He suggested that there should be one strong ministry overseeing the energy sector and that subsidies should be eliminated because, without them, photovoltaics and the heating sector cannot function.
Experts concluded that energy cooperatives have great transformational potential, but the pace of their development depends on the local context, clear regulations, efficient financing, and the creation of a shared interest. As was stated at the end: interests often conflict, so the road to a single model is still long.
