Poland approves first fast-track renewable energy zones — Notes from Poland
In Poland, the regional assembly of the Greater Poland Voivodeship has approved plans for the country’s first fast-track renewable energy development zones. They cover 105.4 hectares across four municipalities in the west of the country — Złotów, Lwówek, Rawicz and Słupca. In these areas, investors will be able to build solar power plants under simplified planning and environmental assessment procedures.
As Notes from Poland reports, the technical potential of the new areas is estimated at 66–80 MW of solar generation, depending on the panel configuration.
Simplifying procedures
Under the new scheme, planning and a significant part of the environmental assessment will be carried out before an investor submits a permit application. Poland’s Ministry of Climate and Environment expects this to reduce project preparation time from three to four years to one to two years.
Environmental authorities will also have no more than 45 days to review projects with a capacity of 150 kW or more. Industry representatives told specialist outlet Świat OZE that obtaining an environmental decision can currently take up to 150 days.
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EU directive requirements
The creation of such zones is provided for by the revised EU Renewable Energy Directive, RED III. It requires member states to designate areas where renewable energy projects can be implemented more quickly. Permit procedures for onshore projects in such zones must take no more than 12 months, and up to 24 months for offshore projects.
The first zones were to be designated by 21 February 2026, so Poland adopted the decision several months late. Maria Niewitała-Rej, an analyst at the Institute for Reform, noted that the scale of the plan in Greater Poland is modest, but that the adoption of the first decisions was a step in the right direction.
Poland still generates approximately half of its electricity from coal. At the same time, the share of renewable sources in the country’s energy mix rose from 14.7% in 2021 to 29.4% in 2025.
