Polish President Nawrocki Vetoes Wind Power Bill, Blocks Energy Price Freeze

Poland's new president, Karol Nawrocki, has exercised his veto power for the first time by blocking a bill that aimed to ease restrictions on building onshore wind turbines and extend the freeze on household electricity prices. Nawrocki criticized the government for combining these two issues in one bill, calling it "blackmail by the parliamentary majority," and emphasized that he had proposed a separate, identical bill to extend the price freeze. The vetoed legislation would have reduced the minimum distance for wind turbines near residences from 700 to 500 meters and partially lifted the restrictive "10H rule," which limits turbine construction near buildings. Nawrocki expressed opposition to expanding renewable energy and the European Green Deal, arguing that abandoning the ETS and the Green Deal is necessary to lower electricity prices. He also cited public protests against the bill, claiming that people do not want large wind turbines near their homes and raised concerns about energy security, emphasizing the need for stable conventional energy sources given Poland's geopolitical situation. Despite vetoing the bill, Nawrocki signed his own proposal focusing solely on extending the electricity price freeze, which he plans to have enacted after parliamentary approval.