EBRD outlines investment priorities in Poland

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) plans to invest 500 to 600 million euros per year in Poland, said Grzegorz Zielinski, the new EBRD director for Poland, on Thursday.
"In the coming years we want to invest EUR 500-600 million annually in Poland, of which about one-third could be invested in the energy sector," the Polish Press Agency quoted Zielinski as saying.
Decarbonisation of the economy is one of the three pillars of the EBRD's strategy in Poland, according to Zielinski.
That means further EBRD support for the renewable energy sector in Poland as the bank won't be involved in the hard coal or lignite power sector, nor does it finance nuclear power plants, he said.
To date EBRD has helped finance 11 renewable energy projects in Poland, which account for power capacity of over 600 megawatt. More renewable energy projects are in the pipeline, including ones exceeding 100 megawatt each, according to Zielinski.
Regarding shale gas, Zielinski said EBRD did not plan to get involved until it was being extracted commercially.
Another pillar in the EBRD's strategy is support for Poland's banking sector and capital market as well supporting the private sector.
"Polish entrepreneurs have great potential to utilise through innovation and regional expansion, especially in the southern, south-eastern and eastern directions," Zielinski said.