Overview

Schoenherr’s review on legal developments in the energy practice looks at the new, more investor-friendly geological and mining law set to come into force in Poland and the amendments to the renewables support scheme in Romania.

The new geological mining law due to come into force in Poland will make administrative proceedings more effective, introduce modern regulations, simplify procedures for entrepreneurs and fully implement directive 94/22/EC on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons. Some provisions of the new law are significant in relation to mining deposits of shale gas in Poland, estimated as the largest in Europe.

Meanwhile, the focus of the Romanian renewable energy sector has been on the outcome of the EU Commission’s authorisation of the support scheme regulated by Law No. 220/2008 on the promotion system for energy generated from renewable sources. The uncertainty surrounding the support scheme has led to a slowdown of investments in renewable energy projects. In view of the process of getting the support scheme authorised by the EU Commission, the Government proposed a draft emergency ordinance to amend Law No. 220/2008. This draft is currently being subjected to public debate.