We are one of the largest employers in Poland. We provide stable employment to more than 38 000 people across around 200 locations throughout the country. Most of our personnel are residents of towns in the vicinity of our assets. Taxes that we pay to the municipalities in which we do business often account for a significant part of their local budgets.
Many activities for local communities originate at the initiative of PGE Group companies. PGE is a local patron of sports and culture. PGE Group companies engage in educational and charitable activities.
A large part of our subcontractors are local firms that, by working with us, have an opportunity to develop their business. Our investments constitute a very substantial element of economic development and their implementation helps to improve the quality of life and work for local communities.
Our Baltic Sea offshore energy investment that we are currently working on is an opportunity for many Polish businesses to spread their wings; many of them specialise in the manufacture of components for wind farms and devices accompanying such undertakings. Close to 800 firms, including more than 500 Polish businesses, participated in April 2022 in information workshops for suppliers, subcontractors and other entities interested in cooperation in the implementation of the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm.
Investments and activities stimulating regions
We are one of the largest domestic investors. Since the foundation of PGE Group 15 years ago, our capital expenditures have exceeded PLN 80 billion. These funds were spent on the construction of new generating capacities, eco-friendly modernisations of existing assets and expansion of power and district heating networks. This is a very large amount, which could have financed, for example, more than 2 000 km of highways in Poland.
In 2021, we invested PLN 4.7 billion. Our investments provide an impetus for the Polish economy – these are not just orders that mostly go to Polish businesses but also thousands of jobs at construction sites and subsequently in operating these new units. Thanks to the electricity that we supply and our investments in distribution grids, companies can develop their business and search for new opportunities. In places where we operate we are often the largest or one of the largest employers and our investments constitute additional support for the development of local markets.
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| PLN thousand | ||
| A. Total revenue | 57 866 437,18 | |
| B. Operating costs | 33 563 384,57 | Total with income tax |
| B. Remuneration and employee benefits | 5 077 509,41 | Item includes: salaries, social security and pensions, jubilee bonuses, discounts, change in the value of provisions for employee benefits, other (excluding training) |
| B. Payments to providers of capital | 311 401,49 | Item includes: interest on financial instruments, no dividends |
| B. CO2 emissions costs | 11 553 045,70 | |
| B. Payments to the state (taxes) | 3 361 219,46 | Item includes: income tax, amortisation of property rights, excise tax, property tax, other environmental charges, other |
| B. Social investment (donations and investments for the benefit of society) | 17 533,00 | Item includes only donations |
| B. Sponsoring | 37 660,29 | |
| ECONOMIC VALUE STOPPED (A-B) | 3 944 683,26 |
Our contribution to local budget
PGE Group is one of the largest payers of taxes in Poland. At state and local level, our business in 2021 brought in approx. PLN 8.5 billion* in tax (approx. PLN 7.3 billion in 2020)*. This amount mainly includes: VAT, taxes and contributions on the remuneration of the Group’s employees, real estate tax, corporate income tax, excise tax and other taxes and fees.
PGE Group is a responsible taxpayer in Poland. Each year, PGE Group pays hundreds of millions of zlotys of corporate income tax to the state budget and local government entities. With these funds, paid by PGE and the country's other largest businesses, the Polish government carries out investments that are important for the national economy and social programs supporting Polish companies and families, which has a real impact on the development of our country.
Tax impact - local governments in voivodships* (in PLN million)
As a result of our activities, local governments (municipality, county and district budgets) received close to PLN 1.8 billion in 2021. In the municipality of Kleszczów, which is where the largest lignite-fired power plant in Europe and lignite mine are located, approx. 50% of all expenses incurred by the local government are financed with taxes paid by PGE Group.
Tax impact by each level of government* (PLN million)
| 2021 | |
| Municipal budgets | 1,324 |
| County budgets | 55 |
| Voivodship budgets | 376 |
| State Treasury | 5,437 |
| Social Security | 1,302 |
| Total | 8,495 |
Participation in EU ETS
Costs related to CO2 emissions under EU ETS reached approx. PLN 8.8 billion in 2021. EU ETS is a key element of the EU policy on combating climate change and a key tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Proceeds from the sale of emission allowances do not solely go to state budgets but also finance climate protection and energy transition.
Transition of regions
PGE is a partner to local communities, listens to their needs and takes them into account in its plans related to sustainable transition. Sustainable transition requires comprehensive changes in both company operations and its surroundings. The societal aspect is one of its key dimensions. PGE Group’s responsibility in this respect entails optimal preparation of its employees, customers, business partners and local communities for its assumptions. The change directions being introduced are beneficial for each of the parties, taking into account especially significant aspects for the natural environment, resource management and future generations. PGE Group makes sure that energy-sector firms and employees as well as the residents of coal regions are part of the entire transition process and actively participate in it.
PGE Group has developed a transition concept for the power generation complexes in Bełchatów and Turów. This assumes further development of renewable energy sources (mainly in the area of photovoltaics and onshore wind farms), as well as ambitious investment projects aimed at stabilisation of generation capacities and strengthening of social, economic and territorial cohesion. Regardless of the process of spinning off its coal assets, PGE Group will remain active in today’s coal regions, both as an active investor in the energy transition process and as an initiator of activities supporting their economic development.
Just transition - Bełchatów energy complex
PGE Group, which includes PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna and subsidiaries providing support services to the power plant and mine, is the largest employer in the Bełchatów region. Currently, the Bełchatów Complex employs almost 11 200 people.
In order to reduce the employment gap in the region, which will result from gradual reduction in the operation of the mine and power plant, PGE plans to carry out a range of projects over the next several years, including activities related to the development of renewable energy sources, land reclamation projects and pro-community projects such as the already operating Competence Development Centre. The lack of ambitious, costly investment and protective measures for the employees of the energy complex and those employed in industries related to conventional energy may lead to a serious social crisis in the region.
PGE Group has prepared a concept for the transition that comprehensively presents a plan for investment projects along with their justification and time-frames. In the case of the Łódź region, where the Bełchatów energy complex is located, it presents specific investment projects for 2021-2043 carried out both by PGE Group and complementary projects implemented outside PGE Group, which will create a total of over 15,000 new jobs in modern sectors of the economy. Implementing this ambitious plan depends on the involvement of many entities, also at the country-wide level, as it exceeds the capacities of PGE Group alone.
These are projects such as:
- three wind farm projects with a capacity of close to 100 MW
- PV farms with a capacity of approx. 600 MW
- energy storage systems with a capacity of up to 300 MW
- establishment of a RES technology centre on the basis of today’s conventional energy support companies, which will be re-focused to implementing renewable projects: production, renovation and recycling and recovery of end-of-life raw materials from renewable sources
- Competence Development Centre – a dedicated program for power plant and mine workers and local residents that creates opportunities for retraining for work in the renewable energy sector.
- waste-to-energy incinerator with a capacity of 60 000 tonnes per year
- program „Virtual Power Plant” – use of IT competences
- development of a recreational/tourist/cultural centre
Just transition
PGE pays special attention to today’s coal regions and thinks long-term about their development. For more information, see the chapter Just transition.