After the wind turbine scandal, it appears that the energy price freeze will only last six months. The parliamentary majority starts with lobbying scandals

Yesterday, the finally forming parliamentary majority decided during the plenary session of the Sejm to discuss the issue of freezing prices for electricity, gas and the so-called system heat in 2024. After the scandal regarding the inclusion of the so-called wind turbine part, apparently decided Donald Tusk, after becoming angry, that it would be removed in its entirety.

In this situation, MPs from the Platform and Ruch Hołownia on Wednesday submitted an automatic amendment to the above-mentioned parliamentary bill, which amounted to about 100 pages and was presented on Tuesday as excellent and was contained in as many as 69 pages. Pages.

A very good government project – rejected

During yesterday’s plenary session, the government’s bill on freezing energy prices was presented by Minister Anna Trzeciakowska, who pointed out that it contains the same solutions for 2024 that will also be effectively applied in 2023. They protect households, the so-called sensitive entities, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, and the costs of this protection include, in accordance with the EU directive, companies from the energy sector that achieved above-average profits due to the sharp increase in energy prices. As emphasized by Minister Trzeciak, freezing energy prices for all the above-mentioned entities in 2023 will cost about PLN 31 billion this year. It includes entities that generate electricity, supply natural gas and provide district heating, as well as companies from the sustainable energy sector. (mainly German).

There is a much worse bill pending

Unfortunately, these arguments did not convince the members of the new parliamentary majority and the very good bill was rejected, and in this situation only the much worse parliamentary bill was considered in the joint committees on energy and public finances. It also emerged that the MP representing the applicants was so poorly informed about the aforementioned 69-page self-amendment that the solutions contained therein were actually presented by an expert presented as a person from the Civic Institute (the Platform’s think tank ) represented. ), but as it turned out It turned out to be the co-owner of a law firm specialized in supporting entities in the energy sector. So, after the scandal related to the fact that in the law on freezing energy prices as much as more than 80 percent of the text was a windmill part, it turns out that the remaining parts were prepared by people from a specialized law firm who also wrote the text of the self-amendment, and furthermore, one of them presented it at the committee meeting, instead of the applicant’s Member of Parliament.

It therefore seems that the new majority in the Sejm has decided to reject a well-prepared government project, whose solutions turned out to be very effective in practice in 2023, and has decided to continue working on the project, which is outside the Sejm was prepared and that the solutions were at least controversial.

Instead of freezing prices for a year, this will not only affect Orlen’s shareholders

Freezing energy prices, but only for half a year, will affect so-called sensitive entities such as hospitals, schools, daycare centers, kindergartens and the like, which receive annual budgets from the local authorities that run them. For the time being, SMEs are not covered by the price freeze, but following yesterday’s announcement by a PSL representative that such a solution is necessary, there is a chance that such an amendment will be tabled at second reading by Law and Justice, and probably also by PSL, may eventually be accepted. Unfortunately, it seems that for some reason the members of the new majority are determined that this entire operation will be financed only by Orlen (costing about PLN 15 billion), although the EU regulations on this matter refer to all entities in the energy sector that previously achieved above-average profits. This is a blow not only to shareholders, but also to investment opportunities, and yet Orlen has started implementing a major investment in wind farms in the Baltic Sea, which will cost at least several tens of billions of zlotys.

The new parliamentary majority begins its rule with lobbying scandals, and all this happens before it forms a government. It’s scary to think what it will look like after it is formed. What is perhaps surprising is the attitude of the PSL and left-wing MPs, who, as everything indicates, had no idea how the so-called the Windmill Act, and after this scandal “leaked out” to public opinion, they participate in punishment concealing and blurring it.