Poland will maintain a maximum gas price of 197.29 złoty per megawatt-hour through December 31, 2027, under a draft amendment published on the Government Legislation Centre website, Business Insider Polska reported.
The Ministry of Energy wants to intervene in the gas market due to high commodity prices on world markets, with authors of the project pointing to disruptions in the Middle East as the main driver of price increases.
Although Poland is well secured in terms of physical supplies thanks to the Baltic Pipe pipeline, the LNG terminal in Świnoujście, and full storage facilities, domestic prices remain closely linked to European exchanges, according to Fakt.
The proposed rate excludes VAT and excise duty, matching the current default supplier tariff currently in force, according to TVN24. The intervention aims to shield households from market volatility, Fakt reported.
Without the price cap, household bills would rise by anywhere from dozens of zlotys to over 1,800 zlotys annually, according to impact assessments cited by Business Insider Polska. Households using gas for home heating will save up to 1,863 zlotys per year, while households using gas solely for cooking will save 77 zlotys, the assessment showed.
“Setting the maximum price of gas fuels at the level specified in the Act will limit the impact of market price increases on the bills borne by protected consumers in 2027,” the Ministry of Energy said in regulatory documents published by TVN24.pl.
Energy Seller Compensation Costs Reach 6,1 Mld Zł
Fakt reported that the total cost of the compensation system for energy sellers will reach 6,1 mld zł including VAT, broken down into 4,6 mld zł for 2027 and 1,5 mld zł for final settlements in 2028, a figure that also includes up to 3 million zlotys for overdue compensations for bakeries and confectioneries from 2023 to 2024 that won their rights in court disputes.
The mechanism will be financed by limiting extraordinary profits of energy enterprises introducing natural gas into the domestic system rather than drawing directly from the general state budget, Fakt reported. Funds will flow into a special fund account managed by Zarządca Rozliczeń S.A. to compensate suppliers selling fuel at the capped rate, according to Fakt.
“We currently have a tariff that is PLN 197 and a half for gas. (…) It will be extended, and I would like to point out that this tariff is lower than the one that was frozen during the PiS government,” said Miłosz Motyka, Minister of Energy, in an interview with PolsatNews.pl.
Price Caps Protect Millions of Households and Entities
The price cap covers approximately 7.5 million households, alongside about 40 tys. housing cooperatives and associations, and roughly 25 tys. public utility entities including schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and churches, according to Fakt and PolsatNews.pl. In addition to the 2027 price freeze, the government plans to extend tariff protections overseen by the Energy Regulatory Office President through December 31, 2030, Fakt reported.
The draft legislation is being prepared collaboratively by the Ministry of Energy alongside the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of State Assets, according to Polsat News.
Miłosz Motyka said that the draft will go to President Karol Nawrocki after being adopted by the government and parliament, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk describing the legislation being formulated across several ministries during a broadcast on PolsatNews.pl as intended to guarantee citizens security during turbulent times.
"These are very time-consuming projects and touch on a large area of state spending." Therefore, I would like this bill to be submitted to the Sejm in November, reviewed, and then sent to the president’s desk before the end of the year,” Motyka told Polsat News regarding the legislative schedule.”