UPDATE: Poland's President vetoes wind farm draft bill
Poland's President Karol Nawrocki has vetoed the wind farm draft bill on, among other things, lowering the minimum distance requirement for wind farms and provisions on freezing energy prices, Nawrocki announced at a press conference. He added that he will submit a bill freezing energy prices to Polish parliament separately.
"There is one draft bill that I have decided to veto unequivocally as President of Poland, the wind farm bill – because that is what we should call it – it is a kind of blackmail by the parliamentary majority and the government not only against the President of Poland, but also against society," said Nawrocki.
"This law concerns wind turbines, not lowering electricity prices. In order to lower electricity prices, we must give up what has the greatest impact on electricity prices, namely the ETS, we must move away from the green deal," he added.
At the beginning of August, the Sejm supported most of the Senate's amendments to the amendment to the so-called wind farm bill.
In addition to provisions liberalising the rules for investing in onshore wind turbines, the amendment freezes electricity prices for households until the end of this year.
This concerns the amendment to the act on investments in wind power plants and certain other acts.
The main objective of the act is to liberalise the existing regulations on investments in onshore wind turbines.
The amendment abolishes the 10H rule introduced in 2016 and introduces 500 metres as the minimum permissible distance of new wind turbines from residential buildings. Currently, it is 700 metres.
In addition to the provisions on the construction of wind turbines, the act included a provision introduced during parliamentary proceedings extending the freeze on electricity prices for households at PLN 500 (EUR 117.6) per MWh net until the fourth quarter of 2025. Currently, the freeze is in force until the end of September.
"Today, I signed a draft that was literally taken from the wind farm bill; we didn't even change a comma. I will be ready to sign it on September 24," the President announced.
When running for his office, Nawrocki had promised to prepare his own draft bill on energy prices for Poland within first 100 days of being in power.
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