Poland is investing heavily in bolstering its energy grid against both physical and cyberattacks, spurred by lessons from Ukraine and escalating geopolitical tensions.
Military Assessment of Polish Energy Resilience
General Grzegorz Grodzki delivered a stark military assessment of Poland’s vulnerability to kinetic attacks, noting successes in cyber defense but identifying the physical protection of key energy nodes as a critical weakness. He cited a recent drone attack on an Estonian power plant as evidence of the ineffectiveness of traditional security systems against low-cost aerial assaults.
Grodzki highlighted the disproportionate ratio between aggressor resources and Poland’s 111 key power stations, representing a clear target map for adversaries equipped with numerous kamikaze drones. He stated Poland is currently unprepared for such a threat, warning of potential chaos even within a NATO framework, and emphasized the urgent need to address gaps in anti-air defense dedicated to countering small unmanned aerial vehicles.
PSE Strategy: 64 Billion Zloty “Survival System”
Robert Tomaszewski, Director of Strategy at PSE, outlined a systemic response to these challenges, confirming a fundamental shift in priorities towards security over cost optimization. This approach underpins the latest Network Development Plan for 2025-2034, which allocates a record-breaking investment exceeding 64 billion Zloty.
The “resilience architecture” being built focuses on creating significant system redundancy, encompassing thousands of kilometers of 400 kV lines and modernization of over a hundred stations. The core strategy prioritizes flexibility, enabling rapid power redirection in the event of critical node failures.
Operational Synergy: Underground Cables and Military Support
PSE has implemented enhanced physical protection procedures exceeding civilian standards, collaborating closely with the armed forces, including the General Staff, and incorporating helicopter and drone patrols to monitor key transmission lines, drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine.
The Harmony Link project, a second energy connection with Lithuania, exemplifies this shift. Originally planned as a submarine cable, the decision was made to pursue a land-based route with portions underground due to the risk of sabotage in the Baltic Sea.
Drone Technology: From Observation to Active Defense
Poland is significantly increasing investment in drone technology, with funding rising from 100 million Zloty in 2024-2025 to a planned 25 billion Zloty in 2026. This surge aims to transition from passive observation to active defense capabilities.
General Grodzki predicts that key power stations will soon possess their own “squadrons” of interceptor drones, capable of autonomously detecting and neutralizing incoming threats, marking a shift from drones as a threat to drones as a countermeasure.
Daily Cyberattacks and Digital Fortification
The energy sector faces a constant barrage of cyberattacks, with PSE repelling dozens of infiltration attempts daily, tracing origins to the East. The company is investing heavily in proprietary monitoring systems and collaborating with national security centers like CERT Polska to prevent systemic paralysis.
Robert Tomaszewski emphasized that these attacks are treated as standard operational challenges, not sensational events, and that PSE’s digital fortress maintains constant vigilance.
