Renewable

December 1 (Renewables Now) - The European Commission (EC) on Tuesday gave the green light to Poland’s plan to extend its EUR-9.4-billion (USD 10.65bn) support scheme for renewable power generation until 2027.

The state aid programme was launched in 2017 and was initially planned to expire on June 30, 2021, though the EC later voted to approve a six-month extension to end-2021. After the Commission’s latest decision, the scheme has been prolonged to run in the 2022-2027 period, as well.

The support plan is available to small-scale renewable energy facilities of up to 500 kW, which are incentivised through a feed-in tariff (FiT) mechanism, while installations larger than 500 kW will receive a variable premium on top of the market price of electricity through Contracts for Difference (CfDs). The projects are selected through competitive tenders.

According to the EC, the state aid scheme is necessary for Poland to further enhance generation from renewable energy sources and reach its environmental targets. The country aims to almost double the proportion of final energy consumption from renewables from 12.2% at end-2019 to 23% in 2030.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.133)