Increasing demand for energy supply, mothballing, phasing out old inefficient power units, and the electricity shortages experienced in the summer of 2015 in Poland these are some of the reasons why Poland has introduced the capacity market mechanism. Its introduction adds a new commodity into the Polish energy market; net available capacity. Or, in other words, buying and selling the readiness to supply energy to the grid.

The first capacity auction took place in 2018 for the delivery years 2021-2023. Since then capacity auctions are held on a cyclical annual basis. Under the current regulations the last main auction will take place next year, i.e. in 2025, for the delivery period falling in 2030.