Proposed Polish law would 'shackle' wind power - Industry
According to Europe’s wind industry, a draft Polish law that would impose a raft of exacting demands on windfarm developers is nothing less than a bid to sabotage the country’s renewable energy prospects.
Developers would need to apply for a license to operate a wind turbine every two years under the proposal, which the Guardian has seen. If they wanted to repair or modernise a turbine, they would first need to get permission from an inspector’s office. Then they would have to pay a significant fee, and reapply for another permit.
Operators who repaired or modernised installations without permission would face hefty fines and up to two years’ imprisonment.
Coal-reliant Poland has a reputation as a regressive player in Europe on climate change but actually has more wind power than Denmark, with twice the current installed capacity forecast to be added by 2030.
Mr Oliver Joy, a spokesman for the European Wind Energy Association said that “This draft law is a detailed plan to shackle the industry’s prospects in Poland. It has been designed to stop deployment and will likely damage investor confidence. It is a very concerning development, particularly for a country that was one of Europe’s strongest performers last year.”
However, Turbines will also have to be built up to 2km from the nearest house or forest – to prevent ice falls from rotor blades – if Poland’s parliament backs the bill. It is sponsored by MPs from the Law and Justice party, which won last year’s elections and is sceptical on the science of climate change.
A spokesman for the environment ministry said that “We believe that minimum distances of wind power stations from developed properties and nature protection forms should be standardised by means of legislation to minimise their potential impact on humans and environment.”
Analysts said that the new bill’s sponsors may be trying to push back the rise of renewable energy by piggy-backing on recent anti-wind power protests. These were targeted against new developments by state-owned utilities that were allegedly approved without public consultation, in disputed circumstances.
Source : The Guardian