After years of waiting, Polish biomethane producers are finally seeing a legislative breakthrough. The long-awaited amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act – draft UD332, print no. 2821 – has been submitted to parliament, with the first reading expected during the pre-holiday session at the end of July. The sector, which currently counts only two biomethane plants against 209 agricultural biogas installations, is watching closely.
Last year, a similar bill was part of the so-called 'windmill act’ vetoed by President Karol Nawrocki. Now, with a new legislative push, the industry hopes for a different outcome. The Polish Biomethane Organization (POB) is cautiously optimistic but stresses what is at stake.
– This is not another technical change to the regulations. It is a decision that may determine whether Poland becomes a significant biomethane producer in Europe or remains merely an observer of the energy transformation carried out by others – said Michał Tarka, director general of POB, and Marcin Trupkiewicz, regulatory advisor at POB.
Support system modeled on renewable energy auctions
The proposed mechanism introduces 20-year support contracts for biomethane producers, based on contracts for difference. Producers would receive a guaranteed price for biomethane (bio-CH₄) sold, settled through competitive auctions similar to those used for wind and solar power.
– The market does not expect subsidies. It expects stable rules of the game. The proposed auction system creates exactly such rules. The mechanism based on competitive auctions has already been verified in the electricity sector – the POB representatives emphasized.
The lack of such support has been the main barrier to sector development. While biogas plants have benefited from regulatory changes made several years ago – leading to 209 installations by May 2026 – biomethane expansion has stalled. Only two plants are operational, highlighting the gap between the two related technologies.
Huge potential rivaling LNG imports
Poland’s biomethane potential is estimated at over 3 billion cubic meters annually. Deputy Climate Minister Urszula Zielińska cited 3.2 billion m³, while the National Energy and Climate Plan (KPEiK) targets 2.3 billion m³ of decarbonized gases by 2030 – including 0.5 billion m³ of biomethane – and 7 billion m³ by 2040, with biomethane accounting for 3.3 billion m³.
To put this in perspective, Poland imported 2.7 billion m³ of LNG from Qatar in 2024, meaning the domestic biomethane potential exceeds that volume. The target set by the Ministry of Climate and Environment is nearly 300 million m³ annually from up to 50 new biomethane plants, with a queue of 122 projects already waiting.
– Decarbonized gases produced from agricultural and food waste offer a ready-made path to reduce emissions while building a domestic supply chain – noted the Institute of Reform in its study 'Production under Pressure #3′. The food industry, with the best access to feedstocks, is likely to use biomethane for its own needs first, while the power sector will rely on it to balance the grid as intermittent renewables grow.
Biomethane is purified biogas, upgraded to natural gas quality. It can be injected directly into gas pipelines, used as transport fuel in liquefied form, or burned for heat and power. Unlike biogas, which is consumed on-site, biomethane opens up wider applications across industry, transport, and heating.
– We are not just deciding the shape of another amendment to the RES Act. We are deciding whether Poland will use its own potential for producing renewable gases and build a new branch of the economy, or remain an importer of technologies and green fuels made by others – concluded Tarka and Trupkiewicz.
The POB has also called for removing overly strict penalties for underproduction, allowing projects at the commissioning stage to participate in auctions, and extending support to biomethane transported outside the gas grid. But for now, the sector is celebrating that the bill has reached parliament – with no sign of presidential objections this time.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Ralf Geithe / Shutterstock
