The Sejm rejected most of the Senate’s amendments to the amendment to the act on investments in wind farms and restored the minimum distance between wind farms and buildings at the level of 700 m.
Only one legislative amendment was adopted.
The Sejm rejected the Senate’s amendment, assuming that the minimum distance between a wind farm and residential buildings would be no less than 500 m. Thus, the distance of 700 meters was maintained, as previously proposed by the Sejm.
The amendment to the act on investments in the field of wind farms assumes that wind turbines may be located only on the basis of the Local Spatial Development Plan (LSDP). The basis for determining the minimum distance – between 10 times the maximum turbine height (rule 10H) and 700 m for residential buildings – will be, among others, results of the strategic environmental impact assessment (SEA) carried out under the MPZP.
The commune authorities will not be able to withdraw from the SEA for the LZP project, which includes a wind farm. The Act also introduces minimum distances between wind turbines and electricity transmission lines. At the same time, it completely abolishes the ban on the construction of residential buildings near existing wind turbines.
The amendment maintains the 10H rule in the case of national parks, and in the case of nature reserves – the limit of 500 m. In the case of other forms of nature protection, the distance is to result from the environmental decision for a specific installation. The Act maintains the ban on the construction of windmills in the areas of national parks, nature reserves, landscape parks and Natura 2000 areas.
The self-amendment introduced during the parliamentary work also assumes that the investor will offer at least 10% of the installed wind farm capacity to the residents of the commune who would use electricity as a virtual prosumer.