N2 - The aim of the paper is to draw attention to risks and challenges faced by the national grid infrastructure both in the area of transmission and distribution. The study presents the characteristics of the network grid in the area of transmission and distribution. The threats concerning the transmission and distribution infrastructure were also discussed. Both the national transmission and the distribution grids are adapted to presently occurring typical conditions of the demand on electricity and to the execution of internal tasks in normal states, but they may pose a potential threat to the security of the energy supplies. In the context of the forecasted future growth of the electricity demand, the insufficient capacity of the National Power System in domestic sources and sources available through interconnections, the uneven distribution of sources and customers with the lack of adequate grid transmission capacity, the necessity to improve the quality and reliability of energy supply to end users and to intensively develop renewable energy sources, the current grid infrastructure in the area of transmission and distribution will be insufficient. It will be necessary to expand and modernize the 400 and 220 kV transmission grid, the 110 kV distribution grid, in large urban agglomerations in particular, the MV distribution grid in rural areas in particular, and to implement investments aimed at increasing the export and import capacities of the National Power System. The paper presents challenges faced by transmission and distribution system operators. They mainly concern the field of investments and the area related to the preparation and implementation of investments in the grid. These challenges result from national legislation which is inappropriate and imposes many legal and administrative barriers substantially limiting the speed and effectiveness of the investment process. L1 - http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/Content/107026/PDF/07-Dolega.pdf L2 - http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/Content/107026 PY - 2018 IS - No 2 EP - 104 DO - 10.24425/122769 KW - power engineering KW - grid infrastructure KW - development A1 - Dołęga, Waldemar PB - Instytut Gospodarki Surowcami Mineralnymi i Energią PAN VL - vol. 21 DA - 2018.06.30 T1 - National grid electrical power infrastructure – threats and challenges SP - 89 UR - http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/107026 T2 - Polityka Energetyczna - Energy Policy Journal