Register of citizen energy communities goes live on 24 August
As of 24 August 2024, citizen energy communities (CECs) can apply for registration in the register maintained by the President of URE[1]. The registration is mandatory for entities that intend to operate as a CEC.
What are citizen energy communities?
The institutional framework for an CEC was set forth in last year's amendment to the Energy Law. These are entities with legal capacity whose primary purpose is to provide environmental, economic or social benefits to their members, shareholders, associates or the local areas in which they operate, in respect of:
- generation, consumption, distribution, supply, trading, aggregation or storage of electricity;
- provision of other services on the electricity markets, including system services or flexibility services;
- implementation of energy efficiency improvement projects;
- electric vehicle charging services;
- production, consumption, storage or sale of biogas, agricultural biogas, biomass and biomass of agricultural origin.
The activity of citizen energy communities is based on the voluntary participation of their members, and is open exclusively to natural persons, local authorities and micro and small entrepreneurs for whom activities in the energy sector are not their core business[2].
How to apply for the registration of a CEC
The application for entry in the register must be submitted on the dedicated form which is provided on the URE’s website together with annexes and a detailed information package. The application for registration should be accompanied by the articles of association or deed of the CEC, a declaration that the information contained in the application is complete and true, and a declaration that the community will be operating exclusively in the field of renewable energy sources.
The application can be submitted on paper, in person or by post to:
Energy Regulatory Office
Department of Market Development and Consumer Affairs
ul. Towarowa 25a
00-869 Warszawa
as well as in electronic form via the ePUAP platform: /URE/SkrytkaESP.
The application for entry to the register of citizen energy communities is subject to a stamp duty of PLN 616. In case of changes to the entry, the stamp duty will be PLN 308.
[1] Pursuant to Article 11zn et seq. of the Energy Law Act of 10 April 1997 (Journal of Laws of 2024, item 266, as amended)
[2] Pursuant to Article 3(13f) of the aforementioned Act.