German blockade on Polish investment. Poland’s energy security is at stake

We are not an oil and gas power. We are far from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the USA, Norway or Iran. Poland manages to extract only about 790,000 tons of oil per year, which meets approximately 4%. domestic demand, which is calculated at approximately 27.6 million tons.

In such economically troubled times, literally every drop of our own oil counts, especially since – as it turns out – there could be more of it. Poland is getting ready to exploit the Wolin deposit, which greatly disturbs Germany.

Germany wants to block oil extraction. They plan to submit a petition to the European Commission

In 2025, a large oil and natural gas deposit was discovered off the coast of Świnoujście, in the Wolin Wschód concession. The discovery was made by the Canadian company Central European Petroleum (CEP), controlled by Norwegian investors.

So far, it is the largest deposit in Poland. It is estimated that it contains approximately 22 million tons of crude oil and 5 billion cubic meters of gas. The value of these resources at current prices exceeds PLN 40 billion. This is the amount that Poland would basically use in a year.

Although the CEP company is only just finishing the development of full geological documentation, the news of the discovery of the deposit greatly worried the Germans. Activists from the German Association for Environmental Protection and Nature (BUND) are seeking to prevent drilling due to potential threats to the natural environment near the island of Usedom and Świnoujście. In September they plan to block further work by submitting a petition to the European Commission. They have already collected 88,000 signatures.

It is no secret to anyone that Germans specialize in this type of activities.

Unique nature versus economic security. Poland has a chance to extract its own oil

Environmentalists are concerned about the pollution of the Baltic Sea waters and the negative impact of the investment on the unique nature and tourism of the border region. Almost half of the area of ​​Wolin Island is covered by old forests (mainly beech forests), the average age of which exceeds 100 years. There are over 1,300 species of plants here, including unique orchids, seaside hollyhock and Pomeranian honeysuckle. You can meet seals and porpoises in the waters around the island. There are also moraine hills.

As luck would have it, the western edge of the Wolin island touches the German border separating it from the island of Usedom.

However, formal concern for ecology may also be a tool to weaken Poland’s economic position and delay a strategic investment right next to the German border. The fears are not groundless – Germany has “specialized” in using pro-environmental arguments as a tool in competitive and geopolitical struggle.

Arguments of ecologists. Natrura 2000 area

German ecological organizations are powerful institutions supported by multi-million subsidies from the state budget. They have specialized teams of lawyers who massively appeal against administrative decisions.

Both the EU and German legal systems give non-governmental organizations the right to block investments at the stage of environmental procedures – before construction even starts. The provisions of the directive regarding Natura 2000 areas are particularly helpful here. Both Wolim and Uznam lie within the boundaries of this program.

Corinna Zwielag, one of BUND’s leaders, said that European marine protected areas start only about 200 meters from the previous drilling site, and any potential drilling would involve underwater noise, pollution and the risk of oil spills.

According to the Germans, the planned extraction is also contrary to the climate goals of the European Union, which seeks to radically reduce the consumption and extraction of crude oil and gas.

German hypocrisy. They extract oil themselves – in the national park

However, Germany itself still extracts oil mainly in the northern and southern land regions of the country and in the North Sea – this is where the largest German oil field, Mittelplate, is located, located on an artificial platform in the Wadden Sea National Park.

The BUND has already formed a coalition with other German environmental organizations. The alliance was joined by, among others: German Environmental Protection Association (DUH), WWF and the citizens’ initiative Lebensraum Vorpommern (West Pomerania’s Living Space). German environmental activists will be ready before Poland even starts actual mining on an industrial scale. This will happen in three to four years at the earliest.