WindEurope has called on the European Commission to examine a proposed Polish wind law that will restrict the siting of projects while rising taxes and red tape.
The European wind lobby, formerly EWEA, says the bill threatens the market and might contravene EU law.
Under the new legislation, passed by the lower house last week, wind farms would have to be built about 2 kilometers from any residential areas.
This excludes 99% of the Polish territory from wind energy development, according to WindEurope.
The new regulations would also increase property taxes on wind farms fourfold and introduce a long permitting process.
The Senate is expected to vote on the new law between June 8-10, the lobby said.
“This proposal appears to contradict EU law on renewable energy, notably by imposing disproportionate and punitive measures through red tape,” WindEurope chief executive Giles Dickson said.
“The new law deliberately aims to undermine onshore wind. If this legislation is passed, it will send investors running for the hills and paralyse deployment of new wind farms in Poland. “
The country’s wind market was one of the strongest performers last year with 1.3GW of new installations, second only to Germany.
Image: WindEurope
