Alternative fuel market in Poland

Abstract

The article discusses issues related to the generation, use, and transboundary movement of waste labeled with the code 191210 according to the waste catalogue regardless of its origin (municipal, industrial or mixed). Data contained in voivodship reports related to waste management and information about transboundary shipments shared by the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection were also used in the article. The imbalance in the amount of produced and energetically used alternative fuels in Poland in the years 2015 to 2017 has been confirmed. This affects the economy of the waste management sector involved in the production of alternative fuels. The oversupply causes the prices of alternative fuels to fall and increases the need for subsidies in the case of the recovery or disposal of alternative fuels of lower quality. In the near future one should expect a stabilization of the supply of combustible waste to the cement industry, which is now beginning to achieve its technological potential; this is due to a high degree of replacement of fossil fuels. One should also expect an increase in the demand for alternative fuels from the commercial power sector and heating sector. It has been shown that much more alternative fuel is imported than exported from Poland. The amount of imported alternative fuel in the market is relatively low compared to the amount of fuel produced in the country. This oversupply affects, although not significantly, the possibility of using domestic waste for energy recovery. The export of the alternative fuel produced in the country is a favorable phenomenon when there is no possibility of sale on the domestic market. It seems rational, especially in the case of exports from installations producing fuels in border provinces.