Poland implements new renewable energy and electricity billing regulations

The Polish Sejm has passed a bill to amend renewable energy source (RES) regulations. A key component is the introduction of an auction-based support system for biomethane production facilities with an installed electrical capacity exceeding 1 MW. The Energy Regulatory Office will manage these auctions. The legislation also establishes rules for direct pipelines used to transport biogas, agricultural biogas, and biomethane, facilitating use beyond the production site.

For prosumers and energy cooperatives, the new laws aim to simplify the use of energy storage. Under certain conditions, the capacity of an energy storage unit will not be counted toward the installed capacity of a micro-installation, allowing for larger storage systems and increased self-consumption. The bill also clarifies rules for prosumer billing and energy cooperative data sharing.

Separately, new electricity billing regulations have come into effect as of September 5. These changes, introduced by the Ministry of Energy, aim to increase transparency for both households and businesses. Consumers with remote reading meters can now choose to be billed based on actual consumption rather than forecasts. Additionally, the structure of electricity bills is being modified, including moving subscription fees to the turnover part of the bill to facilitate easier tariff comparisons.

Large industrial enterprises consuming at least 50 GWh of energy annually may benefit from lower network fee rates. The Ministry of Energy estimates this will affect approximately 143 recipients, potentially resulting in annual savings of around 440 million PLN.