Poland plans to build offshore wind farms with a capacity of up to 11 GW by 2040
The support model provided for in the Act on promoting electricity generation in offshore wind farms has been approved by the European Commission.
According to the government's assumptions, the energy generated by offshore wind turbines is to be responsible for almost 20% of electricity generated in our country. The support model is based on the concept of the so-called bilateral contract for difference. It is used in the case of the currently operating RES support system. Electricity producers in offshore wind farms who will be admitted to the support system will be entitled to negative balance coverage. In practice, this means covering the difference between the market price of energy and the price enabling producers to cover the costs of producing electricity at sea. The amount of support granted will be determined as the product of the planned installed capacity of the offshore wind farm and 100,000 hours. This solution allows for the optimal distribution of support over the time it will be provided, i.e. for a maximum of 25 years. The support system is a necessary investment incentive for the creation of adequate capacity of offshore wind farms.
In the first phase of the support system, by the decision of the President of the ERO, projects with an installed capacity of 5.9 GW will be able to obtain the right to cover the negative balance. These are the most advanced projects in terms of implementation, which will generate energy for the first time before 2030. In the second phase, there will be at least two competitive auctions (in 2025 and 2027) for a total capacity of 5 GW.
The European Commission assessed the scheme under EU State aid rules, in particular the 2014 Guidelines on State Aid for Environmental Protection and Energy. It therefore considered that the aid was necessary and had an incentive effect as the offshore wind energy projects would not have been implemented without the public support.