Polish government approves funding for Podhale geothermal expansion
Group photo at Geotermia Podhalasnka after the signing of the contract for funding from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (source: Republic of Poland)
Carlo Cariaga
2 Oct 2023
The Polish Government will provide funding of up to PLN 52 million for capacity expansion of the geothermal heating facility of Geotermia Podhalanska.
As part of the Polska Geotermia Plus program, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management of the Republic of Poland will provide over PLN 52 million (approx. USD 11.9 million) for capacity expansion of the Banska geothermal system. The contract for the project was signed with developer Przedsi?biorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej Geotermia Podhalanska SA (Geotermia Podhalanska) on 25 September 2023.
We had previously reported on the launch of the second phase of the Polska Geotermia Plus program back in 2022, starting with subsidies for geothermal research projects in the provinces of Krynica-Zdrój and Rabka-Zdrój.
The scope of the capacity expansion project includes drilling of the Banska PGP-7 production well, connection of the new production well to the heating plant, the construction of three new fan cooling towers, and the delivery of four heat exchanges of 7.8 MW each. The expected project completion date is on March 2026.
The Banska PGP-7 production well will be drilled to a target depth of 4025 meters into the Mesozoic deposits of the Podhale Trough in the Inner West Carpathians. It is considered to be the most promising Polish region in terms of its geothermal resource potential. The project team expects the following thermal water parameters from the well – an outlet temperature of 85 °C and a flowrate of 350 cubic meters per hour.
“Geotermia Podhalanska has been providing heat and hot water to local residents and institutions for 30 years. The development of geothermal energy as one of the renewable energy sources is one of the goals of the Polish Energy Policy until 2040. Hence the decision to increase the use of geothermal resources in Poland and invest PLN 52 million for this purpose,” said Anna Moskwa, Minister of Climate and Environment.
“The aim of the Polska Geotermia Plus program is to increase the use of geothermal resources in Poland. The effect of this project will be reduced greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, reduced demand for natural resources and the replacement of environmentally unfriendly fuel fuels with renewable energy sources. Geothermal energy is undoubtedly the best renewable energy source. It is stable and predictable, but also relatively preferential when it comes to the further perspective of operation,” added Artur Michalski, Vice-President of the Management Board of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
Source: Republic of Poland
