Regulations on the construction of direct lines have been liberalized thanks to amendment to the Energy Lawwhich entered into force at the beginning of September 2023. The previous wording of the regulations made this solution “dead” in practice, as it was intended only for customers permanently disconnected from the National Power System.
Problems with the availability of connection capacity for investments in wind energy and photovoltaics, as well as the huge demand of the energy-intensive industry for renewable energy needed for decarbonization, have resulted in direct lines being on the list of legislative priorities in the last few years.
Those whose implementation can translate into measurable benefits in a relatively short time – in this case, the construction of renewable energy sources near industrial plants and the direct transmission of the energy generated there to consumers, free of network fees. However, what is beneficial for the industry in this case does not seem to be beneficial for the state distribution network operators, so the direct lines were burdened with fees.
As a result, the final shape of the regulations was not accepted by industrialists with great enthusiasm, but nevertheless with some hopes.
Green chocolate
Hopes and fears are best verified by the passage of time, so we have to wait until the first entry about an entity intending to build this type of connection is recorded in the list of direct lines kept by the Energy Regulatory Office.
This one – like a Christmas present – appeared a few days before Christmas. It was obtained by Mondelez Polska Production, a company belonging to a global food concern. Specifically, it is a 35-meter line thanks to which the sweets production plant in Skarbimierz will be connected to a photovoltaic installation with a capacity of 999 kWp.
Three weeks later – on January 10 – he praised it in an official statement myself Mondelez itself, proudly emphasizing that the company sets trends and is the first in Poland to use the amended regulations regarding direct lines. Moreover, it announced that renewable energy installations with similar capacity will also be built near the plants in Bielany Wrocławskie and Jankowice near Poznań.
Why do so few companies use this solution? What Fees Reduce Profitability? What does competition look like in the era of subsidies? Read on High voltage
