According to his inaugural speech, Donald Trump is going to strengthen the policy of energy independence and the expansion of fossil fuel extraction, which could have a significant impact on Poland’s energy security. Mateusz Piotrowski, an analyst at the public Polish Institute of International Relations, said this in an interview with TASR.
According to the analyst, the so-called the policy of “drill baby, drill” (policy of no restrictions on production – note TASR) may have led to a decrease in the prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oil, which Poland imports from the United States. “We are on a very stable path in this area,” he says.
A gas pipeline leads from the terminal to Slovakia
In recent years, Poland has invested more than a billion euros in the development of an LNG terminal in the port city of Svinoústi. From this terminal, a gas pipeline to Slovakia was completed in 2022, through which liquefied gas from, for example, the USA is supposed to flow to us.
In addition to fossil fuels, cooperation in nuclear energy also plays an important role. Poland, which currently produces most of its electricity from coal, is planning to build its first nuclear power plant. It should be commissioned by 2040 and will be located by the Baltic Sea. In addition to this power plant, Poland plans to build a second one, and the analyst predicts that the American technology company Westinghouse will be further encouraged and supported at the political level to bid for the project to build it.
Despite the positive outlook in the field of energy, however, Trump’s policies could worsen relations between the United States and the European Union, which would also have an indirect impact on Poland. “It will be a difficult situation. No one wants a conflict with the United States, our most important ally. On the other hand, no one will strain relations with other countries or threaten internal cooperation in the EU just to better establish relations with the Americans – that would be a short-sighted approach,” the analyst explained.
A balanced approach
According to him, it is important that Poland chooses a balanced approach in case of tensions between Washington and Brussels. “The solution is not to choose the right side, but to skillfully balance between them,” he adds. Given the nature of the tensions that may arise, according to Piotrowski, preserving European unity should remain a priority as long as it is in Poland’s interest. “In my opinion, there is still it is too early to clearly say whether we will really move towards a deeper Polish-American partnership,” concludes the analyst.
Donald Trump and his Vice President, James David Vance, took office on Monday, January 20, with a swearing-in ceremony in Washington.
