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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER HENRYK KOWALCZYK AMBASSADOR FOR BIOGAS 2022
10 October 2022
The 4th International Conference of Biogas and Biomethane Producers GREEN GAS POLAND 2022 brought together around one hundred and fifty participants from home and abroad. The annual industry conference, organised by the Union of Producers and Employers of the Biogas and Biomethane Industry (UPEBBI), is the country's main business meeting and substantive deliberation of the biogas and biomethane sector. The most spectacular highlight of the conference was the awarding of the annual Biogas Ambassador award, intended for an individual from political, business or academic circles who has been particularly distinguished for the development of the sector.
The Biogas Ambassador 2022, chosen in accordance with the regulations by the award chapter, was the Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk. The justification for the award and the title granted to the Deputy Prime Minister was his activities as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in favour of agricultural biogas in particular. As justified in the laudation by UPEBBI President Artur Zawisza, the dual role of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development led by the Deputy Prime Minister is worthy of reward: firstly, he always listens to the voice of biogas farmers and, as part of government work, makes appropriate legislative interventions when the legitimate interests of the sector are at stake; secondly, he mobilises public funds (e.g. the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management) to create priority programmes to finance biogas investments (e.g. Energy for Rural Areas).
On behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister, the award was received by the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture and
and Rural Development, Rafał Romanowski, and the statuette with the title of Biogas Ambassador 2022 was presented by UPEBBI Vice-President Beata Matecka. As the Deputy Minister receiving the statuette said, the role and mission of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is to co-create the economic and energy development of the Polish countryside. In this particular case, the personal involvement of the Deputy Prime Minister further strengthens and profiles this role of the Ministry and all secretaries and undersecretaries of state working on this issue. On behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Deputy Minister assured that efforts in favour of agricultural biogas will remain one of the
of the key tasks of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Shortly after the award, a very interesting debate took place among parliamentarians interested in biogas and biomethane issues, which was also an interesting addition to the issues raised on behalf of the Biogas Ambassador. The debate was attended by the following MPs: Andrzej Grzyb, Ph.D. (Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for a New Green Deal and former Member of the European Parliament, KP-PSL), Paweł Poncyljusz, MEP (member of the Sejm Committee on Energy, Climate and National Assets, KO), Jarosław Sachajko, Ph.
and Rural Development, Kukiz'15), MP Michał Urbaniak (member of the Parliamentary Group for Natural Resources and National Assets, Confederation). Due to ongoing Senate deliberations, Senators Zdzisław Pupa (Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee, Law and Justice (PiS)) and Jerzy Chróścikowski (Chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, Law and Justice (PiS)) did not arrive.