At the Ożarów Cement Plant, home to Europe’s largest cement kiln with a capacity of 8.5 thousand tons of clinker per day, parliamentarians and local government officials are calling for protection of the Polish cement industry. The sector, which directly employs 4,000 workers and generates 3.2 billion zlotys in revenue for the state budget, is facing a triple threat: the EU’s climate policy, which is set to zero out available CO2 emission allowances by 2040, the highest energy prices in the Union, and an influx of cheap cement from Ukraine, Africa, and Turkey.
Cement production has for decades been one of the symbols of the Świętokrzyskie province. It is in this region that 3 of the 12 domestic plants are located, producing over 30 percent of Poland’s cement. The Ożarów Cement Plant operates Europe’s largest cement kiln – with a capacity of 8.5 thousand tons of clinker per day. The facility will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The scale of the industry’s impact on the economy is impressive. According to the EY report „The Impact of the Cement Industry on the Polish Economy,” the sector generates the highest added value for the local economy precisely in the Świętokrzyskie province – over 1.2 billion zlotys annually – providing nearly 3,000 jobs in the region. Nationwide, the cement industry directly employs 4,000 workers and supports over 24,000 jobs within its supply chain. Annually, it generates 3.2 billion zlotys in revenues for the public finance sector and a total added value of 5.1 billion zlotys.
During a field meeting of the Parliamentary Team for the Development of the Cement Industry in Poland, held on June 24, 2026, at the Ożarów Cement Plant, industry representatives and politicians pointed to the growing threats to the competitiveness of this key sector.
– The pace of cement production decarbonization resulting from the European Union’s climate policy must take into account market realities and the capabilities of the cement plants themselves. In Poland, we have the most modern facilities in Europe, and our country is one of the leading cement producers on the Old Continent. This is a great value that we must protect – said MEP Adam Jarubas in his opening statement.
2040 with no emission allowances. Will cement plants shut down?
Under the current shape of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) reform, no CO2 emission allowances will be available at all by 2040. In practice, this means that, theoretically, production with carbon dioxide emissions will no longer be possible – a huge threat to the cement industry, whose 63 percent of emissions (so-called process emissions) cannot be avoided except through the implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. The industry points to progress in legislative work in this area, but it is still far behind, for example, Denmark.
In May 2026, EU ETS CO2 allowance prices rose to €80 per ton, reaching their highest levels in several months. According to KOBIZE (National Centre for Emissions Management), this was mainly influenced by the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, particularly in the context of restoring traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Forecasts for 2030 project allowance prices at between €123 and even €150 per ton of CO2.
In July 2026, the European Commission is to present the assumptions for the EU ETS revision. Poland is postulating the exclusion of emissions from production for defense purposes – including cement and steel – and an increase in the number of free CO2 emission allowances for energy-intensive industry.
– We stand firmly behind Polish cement. There is a need to protect the Polish cement industry – an element of state security, including military security. Cement is a key component in the construction of military infrastructure. We do not differentiate between companies from the state sector and those from the private sector. All entities building GDP, creating jobs, and paying taxes should be equally supported – emphasized Paweł Bejda, chairman of the Team.
3 million tons of cement for defense purposes over 10 years
The cement industry is not only a pillar of the economy but also a key element of state security. Cement is the basic raw material for building military infrastructure, shelters, bunkers, and places of refuge.
– We estimate that over the next 10 years, for defense purposes alone – for the construction of strategic facilities, the Eastern Shield, shelters, bunkers, places of refuge – 3 million tons of cement will be needed – emphasized Krzysztof Kieres, chairman of the Cement Producers’ Association.
A significant part of these tasks, including the construction of dual-use infrastructure, will be carried out by local governments. The Ministry of National Defense’s program includes over 5 billion zlotys annually for investments in civil protection and civil defense.
Cement imports exceed 10 percent of production
Simultaneously with growing climate requirements and defense needs, the Polish cement market is being flooded with cheaper imports from outside the European Union. In 2025, cement imports to Poland reached 1.73 million tons and for the first time exceeded 10 percent of domestic production.
– Cement imports to Poland come from North Africa – from Egypt, Algeria, Morocco – to the port of Szczecin, as well as from Turkey. That is, from countries that do not bear the costs of the European Union’s climate policy – said Zbigniew Pilch, executive director of the Cement Producers’ Association.
In the case of cement from Ukraine, actual CO2 emissions are over 100 kilograms per ton higher than in Poland and over 180 kilograms per ton higher than the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) benchmarks. Cement importers to Poland will only start paying CBAM charges from 2027. For the mechanism to be effective, it must be completely watertight – which requires eliminating irregularities such as fictitious emission costs in third countries, declared clinker content in cement, irregularities related to determining the country of origin of the product, understating emission values, and the establishment of plants in third countries producing exclusively for export to the EU.
The Team’s vice-chairman, Andrzej Kryj, pointed to imports from Ukraine as a common problem for both cement and steel producers. The state budget and local government budgets lose 136 zlotys on every ton of imported cement. As a result of the influx of over 1.5 million tons of cement in 2024-2025 from Ukraine alone, the loss to the State Treasury is estimated at over 200 million zlotys.
The cement industry is appealing to the Ministry of Finance to include cement in the SENT system (System for Monitoring Road and Rail Transport of Goods) to increase oversight of its transport to Poland and reduce the gray market.
Energy prices in Poland highest in the EU
Another blow to the competitiveness of Polish cement is the highest energy prices for industry in the European Union. According to Eurostat data for the second half of 2025, total energy costs for the largest consumers in Poland are the highest among EU countries. Energy costs for industry in Poland are higher by: 149 percent than in France, 91 percent than in Spain, 38 percent than in Italy, and 34 percent than in Germany.
– What is included in the National Energy and Climate Plan does not guarantee the cement industry a level of energy costs that would provide prospects for production and competition not only with the world but also with Europe – said Henryk Kaliś, president of the Industrial Energy and Energy Consumers Chamber.
Despite the European Commission’s guidelines in the form of CISAF (Carbon Intensity Savings Adjustment Framework), which allow for the development and implementation of an energy price stabilization program for energy-intensive industries at the level of €50 per MWh, Poland has not yet prepared such solutions. Germany has already implemented a program that will cover payments for 2026 in 2027, i.e., in just over 6 months. If it is not developed and implemented in Poland, within this perspective the energy-intensive industry on the Vistula will receive another blow reducing its competitiveness.
66 percent of energy in the EU from zero-emission sources. Cement plants are responding to the challenges
Currently, 66 percent of energy produced in the European Union comes from renewable sources, nuclear power plants, or hydropower. The share of RES in Poland has reached 50 percent of installed capacity, and by 2040 it is expected to reach nearly 66 percent. The challenges for the Polish energy sector in the context of EU climate regulations were discussed by Piotr Andrusiewicz, president of Enea Wytwarzanie. Using the example of the Kozienice and Połaniec power plants, he described how coal-fired sources are coping with the increasing dynamics of load changes and seasonality. Over the last 10 years, the National Power System has gained over 30 GW of installed capacity in photovoltaics (+27 GW) and wind farms (+6 GW), and over the next 10 years, a further reduction in electricity production from coal is planned – by about 30 percent compared to 2025.
The response to this variability is cooperation between the energy sector and the cement industry in processing ash-slag mixtures. Annually, cement plants use up to 5 million tons of production waste from other industries – such as fly ash and blast furnace slag. They also manage over 10 percent of national municipal waste in the form of alternative fuels.
– The cement industry is following the path of decarbonization. However, this is a process and a huge challenge – both in terms of design and finances. All of this to reduce CO2 emissions. At Cement Ożarów, we are working to consistently reduce CO2 emissions, increase the substitution of fossil fuels with alternative fuels, increase the biomass content in the fuel mix, use more decarbonized by-products, and reduce the clinker/cement ratio – said Mariusz Adamek, board member of the Cement Producers’ Association and president of Cement Ożarów.
The two hearts of the Polish cement bloodstream: Świętokrzyskie and Opolskie
Minister Paweł Bejda drew attention to the presence and involvement of representatives of local authorities: the Świętokrzyskie voivode, the Opatów county head, and the mayor of Ożarów, which confirms joint efforts to support the cement industry.
– The Ożarów Cement Plant is a very important point on the map; it is essential for the province. It is the industrial pillar of the Świętokrzyskie region – emphasized Jolanta Madioury on behalf of the Świętokrzyskie Voivode, Józef Bryk.
– The Polish cement bloodstream has two hearts that beat in the Świętokrzyskie and Opolskie lands – summarized Tomasz Kostuś, vice-chairman of the Team.
Opatów County Head, Tomasz Staniek, noted that in addition to programs focused on defense, the construction of shelters and places of refuge – which create demand for cement – support for the construction of concrete roads is important.
– It is worth considering a government program for road construction using cement technology. In Opatów County, we have one concrete road that was built 20 years ago. That road has not been renovated for twenty years and can remain in such condition for the next 20 – he said.
As Piotr Ślęzak, the mayor of Ożarów, added, Przemysłowa Street – currently being built using concrete technology with low-emission cement – is a showcase for the local government.
Fot. Pixabay
