- It is often heard nowadays that some investments in Poland didn't materialize because it's difficult to buy green energy here - said Ryszard Stefański from EWE Polska in a conversation with Automation Trader.
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The issue of energy transformation is extremely pressing, although it might not seem so prominent at first glance in the hierarchy of importance. According to Ryszard Stefański, such thinking is erroneous and could prove detrimental to many entrepreneurs.
The need for green energy
Perhaps the most glaring recent case was Intel's decision to build a factory in Poland. Politicians trumpeted this as a success, held press conferences, and gathered well-deserved praises. However, no one mentioned in all this commotion that Intel - indeed - would build here, but a smaller facility, while the larger one would be in Germany.
Intel chose Germany for its larger factory because it is easier to obtain "green power" there, our guest commented. - As for Poland, a smaller facility was established, but it was a kind of signal that the lack of this green energy would lead to global corporations not investing in Poland - he added.
The dependencies here are deceptively simple. These corporations must adapt not only to increasingly stringent energy regulations but also to the expectations of their customers, whose awareness, especially in environmental matters, is growing year by year.
Adapt or...
- Large global corporations won't invest here because they won't be able to sell their products further - Stefański continued. - However, that's not all because the companies currently operating here will also have to adapt, or they will have to resign from markets - he said.
In such a situation, can market rules come into play, and if we don't sell in one place, can we enter another market with the same product? According to Ryszard Stefański, framing the issue this way is risky. - Who will buy these products? Sure, someone might say that if it's cheap, there will always be a customer, but such thinking is a trap - he said.
- The reality is that poorer countries will also want to cooperate with wealthier ones. And if they buy products with a high carbon footprint from Poland, they won't be able to resell them to the European Union or North America, and there will be no market for these goods - he added. - Perhaps there will be some niche market and someone who doesn't care about the climate, but if we want to stay in the mainstream of the world economy, we have to be faster in energy transformation than our competitors - he concluded.
So, today, transformation and "green gaming" are not an option or a possibility but a necessity. Pretending that there is no problem or trivializing it can have very painful consequences for entrepreneurs who do so.
