Poland allocates 486 MW of solar in latest renewables auction

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Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office has allocated 486 MW of solar in its latest renewables auction. It only allocated 8,5 TWh out of the 34 TWh of renewables capacity up for sale, but solar accounted for 96% of the 204 winning bids.

For installations smaller than 1 MW, the auction awarded 150 MW of solar. The reference price was PLN 0.375/kWh. The lowest bid came in at PLN 0.24477/kWh and the highest bid was PLN 0.32773/kWh.

For installations larger than 1 MW, 582 MW of electricity was split between solar and wind technologies, amounting to 57% of all allocated capacity. A total of 51 solar producers submitted 70 bids, with 336 MW of PV and 245 MW of wind being awarded. The reference price for solar was PLN 0.355/kWh, while the lowest bid came in at PLN 0.23677/kWh.

Only one company joined a third auction dedicated to hydroelectric power plants. According to the regulator, the remaining four auctions were unresolved due to insufficient bids.

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The president of the Energy Regulatory Office, Rafał Gawin, cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the related energy crisis as the reason for disappointing uptake in the latest auction round.

“The instability and high uncertainty of market forecasts of energy prices, noticeable differences in reference prices in individual baskets, as well as the changing legal environment contribute to the decline in the attractiveness of [renewables] auctions … it seems that in the coming years we can expect less interest in [renewables] auctions in favor of long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for the sale of electricity,” said Gawin.

Between 2016 and 2022, Poland allocated 6.78 GW of solar in its renewable auctions. The nation currently has 1.2 GW of installed capacity, with 4.9 GW of new solar additions in 2022, making it the third-best solar market in the European Union, according to SolarPower Europe.

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