This piece explains how an inter-operator agreement can support procurement planning for rapid electricity-system restoration.
An agreement between three system operators
Orlen Termika, Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE) and Stoen Operator may sign an agreement in September to coordinate the rapid restoration of Warsaw’s electricity supply after a possible energy crisis, including a blackout. The arrangement is intended to make it possible to rebuild the capital’s supply within 30 minutes. Orlen Termika is the generating company, PSE operates the transmission network and Stoen Operator runs Warsaw’s distribution network. The planned agreement is therefore a coordination mechanism between businesses with different roles in the electricity system, rather than a conventional purchase of equipment or construction works.
What the procurement planning involves
The reported arrangement shows how procurement planning can begin before a contract is advertised. The parties must establish which generating assets, network connections, staff, controls and technical procedures would be available during an emergency, and how those resources would be deployed across the transmission and distribution systems. The source does not disclose the agreement’s detailed terms, so it is not possible to say whether it would lead to separate tenders, amendments to existing arrangements or other forms of contracting. Its immediate purpose appears to be operational readiness: aligning the capabilities of the generator and the two network operators before a crisis occurs.
Existing generating assets are central to the plan
Rapid restoration is expected to rely in part on Orlen Termika’s generating resources at its two large combined heat and power plants in Warsaw, at Żerań and Siekierki. PSE said it is working on a new defence and restoration plan for the entire Polish power system, including new resources connected to it and their technical capabilities, such as battery storage. The parties have not published the specific safeguards or restoration sequence for Warsaw. That limited disclosure means the public can identify the organisations and assets involved, but not yet assess the proposed service levels, responsibilities or purchasing requirements.
Tests exposed resilience and investment barriers
The agreement follows recent energy-resilience exercises whose results were described as concerning. Andrzej Gajewski, president of Orlen Termika, said the exercises showed that the national system, and Warsaw in particular, was not resilient enough. He also argued that administrative barriers to investment could prevent the necessary improvements. Gajewski said the companies were working on a bill that would change the treatment of strategic investment. That legislative proposal is separate from the planned inter-company agreement: the agreement coordinates available resources, while legislation could affect how quickly new infrastructure is authorised and delivered. Neither the detailed test results nor the proposed legal text has been disclosed in the source.
IN NUMBERS
For suppliers, the transferable point is that resilience planning can shape future requirements before a formal procurement begins. In Warsaw, the immediate step is a proposed agreement between the generator, transmission operator and distribution operator; the detailed commercial and contracting consequences remain unknown.
Reported from energia.rp.pl, 2026-09-16. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
