The government adopted amendments to the wind turbine act. Direct pipelines for biomethane

On 29 April 2025 the Council of Ministers adopted amendments to the government draft act amending the act on investments in wind power plants and certain other acts (Sejm print no. 1130). The changes were prepared by the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and for the biomethane industry they were particularly important, because they opened the way to gas deliveries without a connection to the gas grid.

What the amendments changed

According to the ministry's announcement and media reports:

• the scope of the provisions on direct pipelines, until then covering biogas and agricultural biogas, was to be extended to biomethane;
• biomethane could be delivered directly to the end customer, bypassing grid operators, where building a grid is difficult or unprofitable;
• the President of URE would not examine the conditions when granting consent to build a direct pipeline for biomethane;
• the Minister of Climate would include biogas, agricultural biogas and biomethane in the regulation on quality parameters;
• the provisions of the Construction Law, until then covering biogas and agricultural biogas, were to cover biomethane as a combustible gas – for safety reasons.

The texts discussed contained no numerical thresholds or provisions on auctions and contracts for difference – these were described in other documents.

Why this matters

A direct pipeline is a solution particularly important for agricultural biomethane plants located far from the distribution grid but close to a large industrial customer, for example a food-processing plant or sugar factory. It makes it possible to bypass connection costs and queues and to conclude a contract directly with the customer. In energy-intensive industry, biomethane can replace natural gas in boilers and furnaces while also meeting emission reporting requirements.

Significance for the industry in Poland

The amendments were a response to two barriers: lack of connection capacity and lengthy administrative proceedings. For investors they meant a shorter path to delivery, but still required compliance with rules on safety and gas quality. For industrial customers – an opportunity to conclude long-term biomethane agreements.

It is worth noting that the government placed the biomethane regulations in a draft devoted mainly to wind turbines – a political decision carrying the risk that the dispute over wind turbines will also drag down the biomethane provisions.

What next

The amendments go to further work in the Sejm. The fate of the biomethane provisions depends on the course of the whole act, in which the regulations concerning wind turbines also attract attention – a risk for the biogas industry, because a political dispute may also delay those solutions that have broad support. Investors should prepare for a scenario in which the provisions on direct pipelines enter into force later than assumed.