Under the previous government's plan, the units of state-controlled PGE, Tauron and Enea that operate coal-fired power plants were to be bundled into NABE, a new state-owned company that would assume their debts. The plan was aimed at easing the burden on the companies as coal assets become harder to finance.
But NABE could pressure Poland's already stretched budget.
Earlier this month, state asset minister Jakub Jaworowski called NABE "a somewhat nuclear option" and said the ministry was considering a "middle ground" solution - analysing the future of each power unit rather than considering the spin-off of entire power generation subsidiaries. "De facto, today we are taking a white sheet of paper", PGE deputy chief operating officer Maciej Gorski told a press conference.
"We hope that in the third quarter we will be able to work out some concepts for directions. But it will be the fourth quarter when we will deepen those concepts to the point where we will be able to systematically consult them with stakeholders from the government and the operator of the transmission network," he added.