Polish lawmakers voted to ease the limits on onshore wind farm development, helping the government reach one of the key milestones needed to access €35.4 billion ($38 billion) in the European Union’s recovery funds.
(Bloomberg) — Polish lawmakers voted to ease the limits on onshore wind farm development, helping the government reach one of the key milestones needed to access €35.4 billion ($38 billion) in the European Union’s recovery funds.
The bill will leave it to local communities to decide on where to build the turbines and likely revive the industry that was hit by the 2017 decision from the ruling coalition to restrict new investments to help ailing coal mines.
The government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has struggled for seven months to find a majority in parliament to back the legislation. The bill will now go to the Senate before being signed by the president.
The onshore wind farm law is one of the milestones that Poland agreed to meet to receive the post-pandemic financing. The country that relies on coal for more than 70% of its power generation still needs to approve the key changes to its judiciary as a pre-condition for obtaining the aid.
The vote highlights the ruling Law & Justice’s determination in getting the money from the EU as the nation grapples with a cost-of-living crisis and surging inflation spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Poles will vote in parliamentary elections in the fall.
However, the final version of the bill has been watered down and is less favorable for the wind farm industry by lengthening the distance between turbines and the nearest houses. According to the Polish Wind Energy Association, it will cut the original potential for 22 gigawatts in new capacity for power generation by 60% to 70%.
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