EU executive approves Poland's offshore wind farms scheme

"The measure will help Poland reach its renewable energy targets without unduly distorting competition," the Commission said in a statement, adding that the scheme was likely to prompt companies to make investments in green projects that they otherwise would not have made.

"This Polish scheme is a very good example of how competition policy can enable Member States to support green energy projects, such as offshore wind farms. It gives the incentive to companies to invest in such green projects where they would otherwise not have invested" - said the Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy.

"We hope that we will see many such initiatives in the future, which contribute to the EU's Green Deal, without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market" - she added.

Poland has a long coastline with no offshore wind farms, but plans to rapidly expand its renewable power capacity in the coming decade.

It was the only EU member not to commit to climate neutrality by 2050 when the bloc set the target in 2019 and the government has long courted political support from interests in coal, which provides more than 70% of the country's power.

The scheme has a total maximum budget of €22.5 billion and will run until 2030.