Polish Briefing: 10H rule dead

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What goes on in Poland on the 10th of February.

In a vote the Sejm adopted PM Marek Suski’s amendment, which increased the minimum distance between a wind turbine and buildings from 500 to 700 meters.

The Sejm adopted the 7th amendment to the government’s amendment  to the Onshore Wind Investment Act, known as the Distance Act, which increases the minimum distance of new wind installations from residential buildings from 500 to 700 meters. The amendment was tabled by the rapporteur, Marek Suski. The remaining 13 amendments proposed by the opposition were rejected in the vote.

The government’s draft on liberalizing the law from 2016 provides for the abolition of the so-called 10H rule, i.e. a ban on the construction of new onshore wind farms at a distance less than ten times the height of the turbine from residential buildings, national parks and nature reserves. This act slowed down the development of onshore wind power in Poland. The government’s draft law liberalizing the law stipulated a minimum distance of 500 meters from the nearest buildings. In the course of the work of the Sejm committee Marek Suski submitted an amendment increasing the minimum distance from 500 to 700 meters.

Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa commented on the decision of the Sejm. „This legislation supports the voice of the local community and introduces safe rules for the construction and maintenance of windmills ” she tweeted.

Today the # Sejm adopted the draft law on investments in wind power plants. These regulations support the voice of the local community, as well as introduce safe rules for the construction and maintenance of wind turbines.

– Anna Moskwa (@moskwa_anna) February 8, 2023

According to the Polish Wind Energy Association this amendment means that 80 percent of the existing projects, which had been drafted before 2016, will not be built as planned and new blueprints will be needed.