Poland Awards 1.6 GW of Solar PV Capacity in Latest National Tender

Poland has allocated 1.6 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in its latest renewable energy auction, according to an announcement by the Energy Regulatory Office (URE).

The tender for projects over 1 MW saw 129 successful bids, with all but three awarded to solar PV installations. The remaining three bids were granted to wind energy projects.

Despite a total of PLN 8.9 billion (US$2.44 billion) allocated for the purchase of 32.25 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, only 15.8 TWh—less than half—was ultimately awarded. The total value of these awarded contracts reached PLN 4.8 billion.

The reference price for solar PV in this auction was set at PLN 389/MWh (US$106.9/MWh). The lowest awarded price came in at PLN 216.9/MWh, while the highest accepted bid was PLN 329.68/MWh.

Notable winners include ib vogt, PAD RES, and OX2, the latter of which recently launched a 100 MW PV plant in southern Poland, its first operational project as an independent power producer. That plant had secured its contract in the 2022 auction.

A second, smaller-scale auction for projects of 1 MW or less awarded 47.7 MW of solar capacity across 33 bids. Here too, results fell short of expectations, with only 0.48 TWh out of the 11.25 TWh offered actually awarded—less than 5% of the total. This round had a slightly higher reference price of PLN 414/MWh, with winning bids ranging from PLN 314.77/MWh to PLN 374.77/MWh.

Out of the seven auctions conducted across various technologies, only the two solar PV auctions awarded any capacity. No awards were made for hydropower, agricultural biogas, or other biomass-based projects for the second consecutive year due to insufficient bids.

In total, combining both solar PV and wind results, the auction allocated 1.75 GW of new capacity—slightly above the 1.6 GW awarded in 2024, but still well below the 3.85 GW awarded in 2021.

This year’s auction results come as Poland’s solar sector continues to expand. As of Q1 2025, the country had nearly 22 GW of installed PV capacity, with 637 MW added in the first quarter alone. However, that figure marks a slight decline compared to the same period in 2024.

At the same time, solar curtailment has emerged as a growing issue. In the first half of 2025, approximately 600 GWh of solar energy was curtailed—a 34% increase year-on-year—underscoring the need for more stable capacity allocations through structured auctions.