Agroenergia, part 2: call for agricultural biogas plants up to 500 kW opens on 20 July 2021

The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (Narodowy Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej, NFOŚiGW) launched on 20 July 2021 a call for applications in part 2 of the priority programme Agroenergia, intended for agricultural biogas plants and small hydropower plants. The budget of this part is up to PLN 74.5 million: up to PLN 48.4 million in grants and up to PLN 26.1 million in loans. The programme, implemented in 2019–2027, is continuous in nature.

Who can apply

The following may apply for co-financing:

• natural persons who are owners or tenants of agricultural land with a total area of 1 to 300 ha, who run the farm personally for at least a year before submitting the application;
• legal persons that own or lease agricultural land of 1–300 ha and have carried out agricultural activity or agricultural services for at least a year; the main activity must fall within selected Polish Classification of Activities (PKD) codes (01.61.Z, 01.62.Z, 01.63.Z).

What is financed

Support covers:

Part 1 of the programme (microinstallations, heat pumps, energy storage), implemented by the voivodeship environmental protection funds, was to start in October 2021. The total budget of the programme, together with the 2019 call, is PLN 200 million, including PLN 153.4 million in grants and PLN 46.6 million in loans.

Significance for agricultural biogas

Agroenergia is one of the few national programmes aimed directly at farmers investing in biogas plants up to 500 kW. This capacity scale is typical for installations using slurry, manure and farm residues. The co-financing lowers the entry cost, but permits, access to substrates and the ability to sell energy and heat remain key – which is why the programme works together with the announced amendment to the RES Act, which extends the support schemes for small installations.

What next

For interested farmers it is important to read carefully the rules and conditions of the priority programme, including the rules on cost eligibility from 1 June 2021. The call runs on a continuous basis until funds are exhausted or the deadline ends.

What to pay attention to

Before submitting an application, a farmer should make sure that they have land and documentation that meet the requirements, a plan for managing substrates and digestate, and secured financing of the own contribution. The programme assumes a capacity limit of up to 500 kW, so the project must be matched to the farm's capabilities, so that the available quantity of slurry, manure and residues allows the installation to operate stably throughout the year.