Poland ’s plan to carve out coal-fired power plants sparked a rally in the country’s biggest utilities. Now for the hard part — approving it. Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin’s proposal, which would free up state-owned companies to invest in clean energy, has to win over trade unions, the European Union’s executive and gain approval from Poland’s bickering coalition government. None of these steps will be easy and could delay the plan beyond 2022. At stake is the future of Polish utilities that have been hit hard by the surging cost of greenhouse emissions in the EU as it shifts toward renewable energy. Burning coal still accounts for 70% of the electricity generated in the bloc’s most carbon intensive nation. Rising CO2 permit prices have hit Polish coal-burning utilities “There is no doubt in my mind that the spinoff is going to happen,” said Michal Kozak, an analyst at […]