After months of delays, the Polish government has approved the UD332 project, a package of regulations that will fundamentally reshape the energy landscape for prosumers and the biomethane industry. The new rules eliminate barriers blocking the development of energy storage installations and introduce dedicated support for biogas and biomethane producers.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s cabinet gave the green light on July 14, 2026. The project, prepared by the Ministry of Climate and Environment, originally contained a broader set of changes, including liberalisation of wind farm siting rules. Those provisions were dropped to avoid a repeat of President Karol Nawrocki’s veto, which struck down an earlier version in August 2025. The current draft focuses on measures that are not expected to face presidential objections.
The core of the project is a new auction mechanism for biomethane installations with a capacity above 1 MW. Successful bidders will receive a two-way contract for difference (CfD) guaranteeing stable revenues for up to 20 years. This long-term support should improve project bankability and unlock investments in a sector that currently produces only marginal volumes of biomethane.
Biomethane auctions and investment costs
According to the regulatory impact assessment attached to the project, the auction support could cover the production of nearly 300 million cubic metres of biomethane annually – equivalent to about 3,100 GWh. Assuming an average plant capacity of 2.8 MW (in electricity equivalent), about 50 new biomethane plants could be built. However, each such facility would require capital expenditure of between 33 and 40 million zlotys for a unit producing 2 million cubic metres per year, and much more for larger installations.
– Average costs of this type of installation amount to about 33-40 million zlotys in the case of a production unit with an output of 2 million cubic metres of biomethane per year and are correspondingly higher for larger installations – czytamy w OSR. The total capital investment needed to achieve the project’s goals is estimated at 9.25-10 billion zlotys. The operating support over the first ten years of the new auction system is projected at 7.5-8 billion zlotys.
The project also simplifies procedures for direct gas pipelines connecting biomethane producers with end users and clarifies quality standards for biomethane in the auction settlement system. Additionally, the definition of biomass is unified to close interpretation loopholes regarding industrial biological residues and products from waste recovery.
Prosumers get a storage breakthrough
The biggest change for prosumers concerns how the capacity of photovoltaic installations and energy storage systems is calculated. Currently, the capacities are summed – a 40 kW solar array plus a 20 kW battery gives a total of 60 kW, exceeding the 50 kW threshold above which prosumer status is lost. The new rule separates these capacities: prosumers can add storage up to 2.2 times the generation capacity (so a 10 kW array can have a 22 kW battery) without losing status. The total power fed into the grid from the micro-installation and storage combined must not exceed the micro-installation’s own capacity.
Energy cooperatives also get adjustments: the maximum capacity threshold for installations owned by such cooperatives will be lowered to 200 kW from the current 400 kW, exempting them from commercial balancing costs up to that limit.
Political context and next steps
The project deliberately omits wind energy provisions to avoid a repeat presidential veto. The ministry has indicated it will pursue wind farm liberalisation through separate legislation. The UD332 project now moves to parliament, where it is expected to be fast-tracked. If approved, the new rules could take effect within months, unlocking billions in planned investments in biomethane infrastructure and giving prosumers the legal certainty needed to deploy larger battery storage systems.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Ralf Geithe / Shutterstock
