This week, a new regulation aimed at accelerating the modernization of wind turbines will be submitted for inter-ministerial consultations. According to the Minister of Climate and Environment, this is the first in a series of regulations designed to stimulate investment in wind power, despite the president’s veto of the wind farm bill. Some solutions will also be included in future legislation. Experts warn that the veto poses challenges for the country’s energy transition.
“The president’s veto will not stop us. We will continue to transform Poland’s energy sector so that the cheapest sources, including onshore wind, make up an increasing share. That is why we will amend regulations, various procedures, and internal rules of environmental authorities to accelerate investment processes—and in some areas, also the law itself,” said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment, during the Economic Forum in Karpacz.
Presidential Veto Blocks Distance Rule Changes
In August, President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the so-called wind farm bill, which included provisions easing restrictions on onshore wind projects—most notably reducing the minimum distance between wind turbines and residential buildings from 700 meters to 500 meters. The president argued that people did not want 150-meter turbines near their homes, and therefore the reduction was socially unacceptable.
The Polish Wind Energy Association calculated that the change would have doubled the land available for wind projects from 2% to 4% of the country’s territory.
The government described the veto as a costly mistake. According to Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka, each additional gigawatt of onshore wind capacity reduces electricity costs by PLN 10–20 per MWh. The government therefore intends to continue pushing for regulatory changes.
“The first regulation to accelerate so-called repowering—modernization of existing wind turbines—will be sent for inter-ministerial consultations this week. Further regulations will follow in the coming weeks,” Hennig-Kloska announced.
Wind Power’s Growing Role in Poland’s Energy Mix
According to the Forum Energii report Poland’s Energy Transition 2025, Poland had 33.6 GW of renewable capacity installed at the end of last year, one-third of which came from onshore wind farms. Wind capacity grew by 0.8 GW in 2024 (+7.7%) and by 5.6 GW over the past decade (+112.6%). Wind energy production reached a record 24.5 TWh last year, accounting for 14.5% of total generation. Renewables overall provided 29.4% of electricity in 2024.
New data from August 2025 shows renewables supplied 37.5% of Poland’s electricity (4.8 TWh), up 15% year-on-year. Wind power contributed 27.9% of renewable generation (1.3 TWh), 5.2% higher than in August 2024. As of early July, installed onshore wind capacity stood at 11 GW.
“The president’s veto significantly limits the prospects for onshore wind power development in Poland. These prospects are substantial—Poland already has 11 GW of onshore wind capacity, and we could easily reach 20–30 GW, which would positively impact the country’s energy situation,” said Jakub Wiech, editor-in-chief of Energetyka24.
Post-2030 Energy Gap Looms
Experts stress that wind power will be crucial after 2030, when coal-fired capacity will gradually be phased out, leaving a generation gap.
“Each megawatt of wind capacity not only helps meet demand but also reduces dependence on imported gas. Gas is likely to fill much of the generation gap in peak demand periods, so limiting wind development complicates planning for Poland’s energy transition,” Wiech explained.
Currently, Poland’s power system is already unbalanced. The country lacks nuclear capacity to provide a stable, zero-emission base load, and hydropower is too limited to play a significant role. Investment in wind farms has stalled, while solar capacity has expanded rapidly, creating challenges for system stability. At the same time, coal capacity remains a heavy burden and is being retired—often in unplanned outages.
“As a result, the generation gap that we cannot fill with wind will be taken up by gas—which Poland does not produce domestically and must import at high cost, as seen during the past three years of the energy crisis,” Wiech added.
In such a system, reducing energy costs becomes difficult. While renewables help lower electricity generation costs, Poland still faces higher expenses due to delays in the energy transition and the need to maintain system reliability.
