The Natural Gas Deficit in Poland: Between the Illusion of Energy Security and a Resource Sovereignty Crisis

Abstract

The article examines the issue of the natural gas deficit in Poland, treating it as a structural rather than a temporary phenomenon. It analyses global determinants of gas supply, the national balance of demand, and the infrastructural capacity of the Polish gas system, revealing a growing discrepancy between political declarations of energy security and the actual resource capabilities of the state. The study employs a systemic, comparative, and institutional-legal approach, demonstrating that Poland’s relatively low level of gas consumption is not the result of high energy efficiency but rather of import, contractual, and infrastructural constraints. Particular attention is paid to the role of natural gas as a transition fuel in the energy transformation process and to the consequences of its shortage for the heating sector, construction, and power generation. The article argues that the prevailing narrative of gas sovereignty is largely illusory and conceals increasing systemic risks to national energy security.