By Julia Bartkowiak
Mazowiecka Agencja Energetyczna, Poland
Polish President Karol Nawrocki speaks as he attends the ceremony of accepting the sovereignty over the Armed Forces for the five-year term, in Warsaw, Poland, August 6, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
On August 21, 2025, Polish President Karol Nawrocki issued his first veto, targeting the so-called wind farm law. The legislation sought to ease long-standing restrictions on onshore wind development by reducing the minimum distance between turbines and housing from 700 to 500 meters.
Just as significantly, it extended the household electricity price freeze through the end of 2025, a move that promised both short-term relief for families and a longer-term push toward cleaner energy sources¹.
The president justified his veto by arguing that linking cheaper electricity bills to wind farm expansion was “a form of blackmail against society.” Instead, he submitted his own draft law that maintained the electricity price freeze but excluded wind farm reforms².
Public support for the rejected bill was notable. A survey by IBRiS for Rzeczpospolita conducted just before the veto found that 55.8 percent of Poles supported the distance law reforms, with approval climbing to 62 percent among rural residents — the very communities most affected by turbine placement2.
At the same time, Nawrocki often pointed to local protests and a 2024 referendum in Głubczyce, Opole Voivodeship, where residents opposed a planned farm. Yet that referendum ultimately failed to meet turnout requirements, casting doubt on the idea of universal opposition.
Protests against wind farms in Poland have happened before. On October 29, 2021, the Polish national road No. 20 between Egiertów and Żukowo was blocked. The traffic jams were caused by protesting residents of northern Poland villages Wyczechowo, Kiełpino and Somonin. Photo: Kurier Kaszubski
Beyond distance rules, the law envisioned a local compensation mechanism: investors would pay 20 000 złotys (4 700 euro) for each megawatt of installed capacity into a dedicated fund. The money would go directly to property owners living near turbines, addressing a gap that has fueled resentment in many communities. For the first time, those living in the shadow of turbines would share directly in the benefits.
The president’s veto also touched another key reform: a deregulatory package in the energy sector. This bill would have raised the licensing threshold for renewable installations from 1 MW to 5 MW, exempting smaller projects from lengthy concession procedures.
It also proposed increasing the threshold for solar installations requiring a construction permit from 150 kW to 500 kW. Moreover, it would have simplified billing and improved rules for connecting energy storage systems to the grid — widely recognized as the most urgent infrastructure investment of the coming decade.
Supporters of the veto emphasize that social acceptance is a fragile but essential ingredient of the energy transition. Nawrocki underscored that many people do not want 150-meter turbines looming over their homes. By vetoing, he positioned himself as responding to these concerns rather than pushing through reforms at all costs.
Critics argue that the veto significantly delays Poland’s renewable energy expansion. Data from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) show that a 500-meter setback would allow for approximately 8,100 GW of installable onshore wind capacity across the EU — vastly exceeding the potential under stricter distance limits.3
Meanwhile, the current veto risks extending permitting delays, which already stretch development timelines to five to seven years.
Experts emphasize that reforms allowing simultaneous environmental and planning approvals, along with streamlined “repowering” of aging turbines, are essential for accelerating project delivery — but those reforms remain stalled.
The economic stakes are considerable. By 2030, Poland’s onshore wind supply chain could generate 80 billion złotys (18,8 billion euros) in value and create up to 97,000 jobs if regulatory conditions allow the sector to scale4. Without reform, much of this opportunity may remain unrealized.
European Commission Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition Teresa Ribera attends a press conference on an EU climate target for 2040, in Brussels, Belgium July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
In the short term, Nawrocki’s veto shields him from accusations of imposing wind farms on reluctant communities while preserving the electricity price freeze through a separate proposal.
Yet in the long term, the decision raises serious questions about how Poland will align local social concerns with the EU’s legally anchored 2040 emissions target. Onshore wind represents one of the fastest-deployable and most cost-effective renewable energy sources5 — precise investments needed now if the EU is to stay on track toward deep decarbonization targets.
For Poland, this pause could mean greater reliance on coal and imported gas in the next decade, exposing households and industries to higher costs and supply risks. For the EU, it highlights how national politics, and local resistance can undermine collective climate targets, creating uneven progress across the bloc. If Poland falls behind, the burden of decarbonization shifts onto other member states, threatening both energy solidarity and market competitiveness.
Ultimately, the veto reflects a pause in the balancing act between affordability, local acceptance, and the urgent need to accelerate the energy transition. The challenge ahead will be to design reforms that both reassure communities and unlock the large-scale renewable investment Poland — and the EU — cannot afford to delay.
Sources:
- Reuters – Polish president vetoes bill easing rules about building wind farms (2025) https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/polish-president-vetoes-bill-easing-rules-about-building-wind-farms-2025-08-21/
- RP.pl – First veto of President Nawrocki: ‘blackmail against society’ (2025) https://www.rp.pl/prawo-w-polsce/art42888441-jest-pierwsze-weto-nowego-prezydenta-karol-nawrocki-mowi-o-szantazu-wobec-spoleczenstwa
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) — The Onshore Wind Potential of the EU and Neighbouring Countries (ENSPRESO 2 dataset), Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg (2025), DOI: 10.2760/0396389
- Trade.gov.pl – A Strong Wind Energy Industry in Poland in 10 steps (2024)
https://www.trade.gov.pl/en/news/a-strong-wind-energy-industry-in-poland-in-10-steps/ - WindEurope — Wind Energy in Europe – 2023 Statistics and the Outlook for 2024–2030 (2024)