 Act of 10 April 1997- Energy Law (Initial text)

Laws and Policies

CCLW

CCLW national policies

Act of 10 April 1997- Energy Law (Consolidated text)

Amending Act of 9 October 2025

Amended

climate-relevant amendment

Law passed

Amendment

Last Amendment

<p>This law (with later amendments, lastly in September 2015) defines the principles of state energy policy, conditions for the supply and use of fuels and energy, and the framework for activities of energy companies. It also specifies the authorities responsible for the management of fuels and energy. Among others, it established the basis for independent electricity and gas production and access of independent power producers to the grid, principles for least cost and integrated resource planning, support to high efficiency heat and power production, demand side management and energy efficiency labels. It facilities the production of electricity from renewable energy sources (up to 5MW), making them eligible to benefit from a reduced grid connection fee and exempt from paying annual licence fees. Energy providers are allowed to incorporate costs of developing renewable energy into their tariff regimes. Since 1 October 2005, energy enterprises that generate, trade or purchase electricity are obliged to purchase or generate a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources of energy. The obligation will be met through the acquisition and redemption of certificates of origin that certify electricity produced from renewable sources. Transmissions and distribution operators are obliged to accept renewable sources of energy. Similar scheme for heat produced from renewable energy sources entered into force on 1 January 2007. The amendment of 26 July of 2013 simplified the setting up a micro-installation (renewable energy sources with no more than 40kW of total installed electrical capacity, connected to electrical grid of a voltage lower than 110kV or no more than 120 kW of total installed heat capacity). Applications to connect a micro-installation to the grid will no longer be subject to a connection fee nor required to attach documents confirming the admissibility of locating the installation in the investment area. In some cases, there will be no need for an interconnection agreement. It also expands the definition of renewable energy sources to aerothermal and hydrothermal, it provides the protection of vulnerable consumers, as well as support for energy-intensive industries. In order to make the gas market more transparent and competitive, the Small Tri-Pack imposes the obligation to sell at least 30% (40% since 2014 and 55% since 2015) of the gas at the exchange markets. The Act also exempts people producing energy from renewable resources for their own purposes from the obligation to obtain the license for the power supply. The amendment to the Energy Law from 26 September 2015 introduces measures necessary for the application of the 'REMIT Regulation' of the European Parliament and the Council Regulation no. 1227/2011 (25 October 2011) on the wholesale energy market integrity and transparency. It establishes a legal framework necessary for monitoring the practices of wholesale energy market participants, as well as detecting and deterring fraudulent practices in this sector.The "meter Act" of June 2021 amends this document and others to boost the deployment of smart meters in the country.In 2025, the Polish Energy Law was modified by multiple amendments to strengthen legal clarity, market functioning and support for the energy transition: the Act of 5 August 2025 updated the Energy Law itself and related statutes to address structural issues arising from corporate reorganisations (ensuring that obligations of reserve sellers and default sellers automatically transfer to successor companies after a corporate division), clarified how supplier duties carry over after such a division, and aligned transitional rules for obligated sellers in electricity and gas markets with ongoing company changes; this reform aimed to close legal gaps around entity succession and ensure continuity of supply and regulatory obligations following company splits. At the same time, the October amendment to the Offshore Wind Promotion Act also amended the Energy Law (among other statutes) to incorporate provisions facilitating renewable energy development, such as improving the grid connection regime for offshore wind farms, allowing shared use of offshore electrical infrastructure. These amendments both tighten control over conventional energy markets and simultaneously create a more enabling legal framework for renewable energy development, supporting Poland’s energy security and decarbonisation goals.</p>

Act of 10 April 1997- Energy Law

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

This sector involves the wholesale and retail selling of goods.

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock formed from carbonised plant matter, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurring in several main types including hard coal and brown coal.

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Production of electricity and heat from solar irradiation.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

This sector includes firms and individuals offering specialised expertise in fields such as law, accounting, consulting, science and engineering.

Compulsory, required payments to the government that are levied more-or-less in proportion to the services provided. Fees and charges range from entrance fees to national parks, charges on land-based sewage discharge.

Activities of businesses and institutions that provide financial services and products to individuals and organisations.

The activities of industries involved in the production, distribution, and sale of energy, including electricity, gas, and renewables.

This sector creates and distributes information and entertainment through television, radio, print, and digital platforms.

Activities of industries that extract natural resources, such as mining, oil, and gas, for commercial use.

Codes and standards are regulatory instruments that specify minimum standards to protect health and safety. This ranges from performance standards, which prescribe outcomes while allowing flexibility to achieve compliance, to the more prescriptive approach of technology-specific standards.

Activities of government agencies and institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and manage public resources.

The processes through which enterprises can identify, prevent, mitigate and account for how they address their actual and potential adverse impacts. Due diligence is the idea that reasonable precautions should be taken to avoid causing harm to people, the environment, or society. It also involves identifying and mitigating risks before they occur.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

Energy derived from biological compounds that are renewable due to their short life cycle within the carbon dioxide cycle.

Actions to adapt human health, healthcare systems and well-being to climate change.

Financial support to help individuals manage the effects of unexpected events, securing their livelihoods and increasing the resilience of people and businesses to the changing climate. It’s especially vital in developing regions where everyday risks, climate-related weather extremes, or crop failures can push people into poverty. Without insurance, people may have to resort to selling assets or cutting consumption to cope with losses.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater systems to climate change.

Heat extracted from the ground, usually in the form of hot water or steam and typically referred to as hydrothermal fluid.

A financial institution that manages a country's currency and can promote climate-related initiatives through green monetary policy and other means.

This sector involves managing waste treatment, sanitation, pollution control and environmental cleanup.

Activities that involve the cultivation of crops and raising of livestock for food, fibre, and other products essential for human life and industry.

Electrical energy generated from mechanical devices driven by flowing fresh water.

Kinetic energy of airflow transformed into useful energy, mostly electrical energy.

This sector involves the distribution, treatment, and conservation of water resources.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater, coastal and marine systems to climate change.

Zoning and spatial planning are both methods for guiding the distribution of people and activities in a space, and are regulatory restriction.

Jobs that contribute to preserving or restoring the environment. We include jobs which require a high amount of green skills or which spend much of their time on green activities, as well as jobs transforming polluting industries.

Social inclusion is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity.

Aligning the skills of the workforce with the requirements of the just transition.

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

This sector provides medical services, manufactures medical equipment, and develops pharmaceuticals to maintain and improve health.

Work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for all, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

People who are less able to respond to the effects of climate change due to having limited financial or physical assets

Conditions that enhance the feasibility of adaptation options. Enabling conditions include finance, technological innovation, strengthening policy instruments, institutional capacity, multi-level governance and changes in human behaviour and lifestyles.

Climate change impacts our society by disrupting the natural, economic and social systems we depend on. Physical hazards and underlying vulnerabilities can lead to increased resource competition for food and water, which can heighten the risk of conflict.

This sector provides communication services, software development, and IT solutions.

People whose health, both mental and physical, makes them more vulnerable to the effects of climate change

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

A subsidy is a direct or indirect payment to individuals or businesses, typically provided as a government cash payment or a specific tax reduction.

The activities of industries that transforms raw materials into finished goods through industrial processes.

Activities involving the management, development, and sale of property assets.

The release of heat-trapping gases, primarily from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and industry.

Climate change can have a range of impacts on technological system. Extreme weather events can cause infrastructure failures like power outages or damage to roads and bridges, as well as the impacts from waste following natural disasters. Human activities also cause technological impacts, such as the risks posed by oil spillage and leaks.

Social protection systems consist of policies that help people manage social risks in order to prevent poverty and maintain decent incomes and living standards

A loan is a policy instrument where funds are provided to a borrower with the expectation of repaying the principal plus interest.

A potent, short-lived greehouse gas, largely released from livestock, fossil fuel extraction and waste management.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.