Despite the recent presidential veto of the amendment to the Wind Farm Distance Act, onshore wind remains subject to further regulatory initiatives intended to promote this technology.

The government has indicated that certain elements of renewable energy policy will be implemented through alternative legislative measures other than legal acts, such as regulations and internal administrative procedures, which do not require presidential approval. These measures are intended to reduce delays and accelerate investments in wind power.

The proposed framework focuses on two main areas:

• repowering existing wind farms – replacing older turbines with more efficient models
• procedural changes – simplifying the permitting and shortening approval pathways.

One of the first steps in this direction is a draft amendment to the Regulation on Projects Potentially Having Significant Environmental Impact, published on 23 September 2025, by the Ministry of Climate and Environment (the “Draft Regulation”).

The Draft Regulation introduces an exemption from the requirement to obtain an environmental decision solely for repowering projects aimed at increasing installed capacity by no more than 30%, provided that such actions do not result in an increase in the number of turbines, a relocation of the tower beyond 250 metres from the axis of the existing tower, and that the total installed capacity after repowering remains below 100 MW. Exceeding this threshold triggers automatic classification as a project deemed to have a significant environmental impact, requiring a full Environmental Impact Assessment within the 10H radius.

The simplified rules apply only to projects located outside protected nature areas.

The Ministry of Climate and Environment has announced that the Draft Regulation will shortly be circulated for interministerial consultation, to be adopted by the end of 2025. As a result, the first projects could potentially benefit from the new framework in the coming year, subject to obtaining appropriate building permits.