Legal Aspects of Taxation of Offshore Wind Farms in Poland

Abstract

The provisions of the Act on promoting electricity generation in offshore wind farms have been in force since 18 February 2021. They are intended to simplify administrative procedures for obtaining permits and approvals for the implementation of offshore projects and to contribute to the fulfillment of Poland’s international obligations to maintain and increase the mandatory share of renewable energy sources. The Act also amended the Energy Law, which introduced provisions regulating the new license fee. Calculation and payment of this levy to the Energy Regulatory Office is mandatory for companies in the energy sector that conduct business operations involving production of electricity in offshore wind farms. In the author’s opinion, these entities are payers of a new tax, paradoxically referred to as fee, which, contrary to the original assumptions, was not introduced due to extra-legal factors. The article analyzes the legal regulations that introduce taxation of offshore wind farms in Poland against the background of controversial normative solutions concerning the property tax imposed on onshore wind power plants.