New Polish President Karol Navrocki has exercised his first veto, rejecting a law that would have eased regulations for onshore wind farms and included provisions to extend electricity price freezes for households until the end of the year.
The veto marks the first major populist move by Navrocki since taking office earlier this month and signals a clash with the centrist government of Donald Tusk.
Speaking at a press conference, Navrocki, an ally of the right-wing opposition, stated that he plans to submit his own bill to directly extend the electricity price freeze for households in the final quarter of 2025.
“The so-called wind farm law is a form of pressure from the parliamentary majority and the government. It focuses on wind turbines, not on reducing electricity prices,” Navrocki said.
Currently, household electricity prices in Poland are frozen at 500 zloty (approximately €120) per megawatt-hour until the end of September.
Navrocki explained that his veto was motivated by public opposition to relaxing restrictions on wind farm construction, including a proposed reduction in the minimum distance from residential areas from 700 to 500 meters. “People do not want 150-meter turbines near their homes,” he said.
He further noted that reducing energy costs should focus on moving away from the EU Green Deal and emissions trading system, rather than building more wind turbines.
The law, passed earlier this month, aimed to loosen wind energy project restrictions and allow local governments to have the final say on projects in their areas.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned the veto, warning that it could lead to higher electricity costs for all Poles, according to the Polish Radio English service.
