The energy sector on the path toward sustainability – an analysis of the impact of leading enterprises on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 7

Abstract

The study is devoted to the issue of sustainable energy, providing a review of definitions and indicators in this area, with particular attention to the discrepancy between Poland’s overall performance in implementing the 2030 Agenda and its performance on Sustainable Development Goal 7. The research was based on an analysis of the impact of energy‑sector enterprises on the implementation of SDG 7 in the period 2021 – 2025, verifying the adopted research hypothesis, which stated: Enterprises holding a dominant position in the energy sector have a critical impact on Poland’s implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 7. The adopted research methodology was based on indicators used by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in the preparation of the Sustainable Development Report, focusing on areas in which Poland has not achieved maximum values and which therefore require further improvement. The study made it possible to identify a discrepancy between the greenhouse gas emission intensity levels of the enterprises in the research group and the national level. The analysed enterprises recorded significantly lower values, falling within the range of a positive trend in the emission‑intensity indicator. It was also identified that enterprises whose share in the volume of electricity fed into the grid amounted to at least 1% reported undervalued shares of renewable electricity in their fuel mix relative to the required trend. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that increasing the share of renewable energy sources — including raising the share of RES in the fuel structure of leading energy‑sector enterprises in Poland — is a key area influencing the improvement of Poland’s performance in implementing Sustainable Development Goal 7.