The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management has just opened the application process for the "European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, and Environment 2021–2027 (FEnIKS)" program, Part 5: High-Efficiency Cogeneration Sources. PLN 627 million is available for high-efficiency cogeneration projects based on renewable energy sources – in particular biomass (excluding forest biomass), biogas, and biomethane. Applications can be submitted from November 21, 2025, to March 10, 2026, and support is provided in the form of a combination of grants and preferential loans. Importantly, the funding intensity can reach up to 100% of eligible costs, which in practice allows for the implementation of investments without the involvement of own capital, or with minimal involvement of own capital. The program is aimed at entrepreneurs, local government units (and their organizational units), entities carrying out their own tasks, and housing cooperatives. The funding covers the construction or expansion of generating units with a capacity exceeding 50 kWe operating in high-efficiency cogeneration conditions, as well as the possibility of co-financing energy storage facilities and trigeneration systems (electricity-heat-cooling).
According to the program documentation, support primarily covers installations that simultaneously produce electricity and heat (cogeneration), and in some projects also cooling (trigeneration). This requires meeting the criteria for "high-efficiency" cogeneration and the use of renewable energy sources – biogas, biomethane, or non-forest biomass. The program clearly favors local solutions: municipal heating plants and combined heat and power plants, installations at agri-food processing plants, water and sewage plants, and industrial facilities. Such sources improve energy security, enable waste management, and reduce consumer bills, which is one of the key goals of the EU's energy transition by 2050.
Where does the law come into play?
High-efficiency cogeneration and renewable energy sources (RES) are not just about technology, but above all, specific statutory definitions that determine eligibility for support. According to the Energy Law, cogeneration is the simultaneous production of heat and electricity or mechanical energy within the same technological process – and meeting specific efficiency parameters is essential for recognizing an installation as "highly efficient." The Renewable Energy Sources Act, in turn, details what RES are, how biogas, biomethane, and biomass are classified, and what renewable energy support mechanisms operate in Poland. The FEnIKS program refers to these regulations – incorrectly describing the fuel, incorrectly classifying the installation, or selecting technical parameters inconsistent with legal definitions can mean that the project fails to meet the competition criteria. This is compounded by regulations on state aid and public finances, which require that EU funds be spent in accordance with their intended purpose and procedures – otherwise, there is a risk of financial corrections and the return of part or all of the funding. Therefore, project documentation is no longer "unnecessary paperwork", but an extensive set of statements, analyses, schedules, evidence of compliance with the law and program conditions.
We strongly encourage you to read the next article, in which we will discuss the practical aspects of obtaining funding and the most common problems encountered by farmers.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
The law is current as of November 26, 2025.
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