Renewable energy developer RP Global will begin construction next month on its largest wind project to date, a 123.9 megawatt (MW) facility in northwestern Poland, announced the company.
The Wałcz wind farm received its final building permit this week. Preparatory works are going to start in early February, with the company anticipating completion of the project by late 2027. When operational, it will rank among the largest onshore wind farms in the country.
This project marks a shift for RP Global as it builds its first Polish site under relaxed distance regulations. The company entered the Polish market in 2006, but after the construction of five wind farms, development activities slowed down after the government introduced restrictive land-use rules, the country’s controversial 10H rule.
Among others, the 10H rule imposed a minimum distance of over 2,000 metres between wind turbines and residential areas, a figure four times higher than the 500-metre standard typical across most European countries. The regulation was introduced in 2016, and it blocked 99.7 per cent of the country from onshore wind investments, according to an analysis by Instrat. This regulatory move brought the once-booming industry to a complete halt in the country.
Availability of wind farm locations in Poland after the 10H rule in 2016. Source: Instrat.
The regulation was somewhat liberalised in 2023. RP Global has since pivoted back to becoming an independent power producer and is developing a Polish pipeline of more than 3 gigawatts. For the Wałcz site, RP Global signed a supply deal with Nordex for 21 turbines. Each unit stands at a height of 134 metres and provides a capacity of 5.9 MW.
“The Wałcz project is an important milestone in Poland’s development of large-scale renewable energy facilities,” said Wojciech Glocko, Country Manager of RP Global Poland. “It reflects our long-term commitment to delivering projects that are aligned with grid availability, local planning requirements, and national energy objectives. Wałcz is only the beginning of a broader development strategy, with the ambition to build a substantial renewable energy portfolio in Poland.”