Geothermal heating plant to be constructed in Sochaczew, Poland
Sochaczew, Poland (source: WScnin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
28 Nov 2023
Funding of PLN 62 million has been approved the for the drilling of a second well and plant construction for the geothermal project in Sochaczew, Poland.
The geothermal project in Sochaczew, Poland is set to proceed with the drilling of a second well and the construction of a heating plant. This pronouncement comes after the approval of PLN 62 million (USD 15.63 million) from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOSiGW). The agreement for the funding was signed with Jaroslaw Dorociak, President of Przedsisbiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej (PEC / Thermal Energy Company).
The PLN 62 million funding will comprise of PLN 33.4 million in the form of a non-repayable grant and PLN 26.8 million in the form of a loan.
Other financial instruments are also in place to help in the project development. PEC will be able to recover the VAT to be paid for the project, which is expected to amount to about PLN 14.26 million. There will also be a session of the city council to decide on whether the mayor will sign a tripartite agreement with PEC and NFOSiGW where the city will guarantee to provide funding in the event that PEC does not have enough funds for loan installment.
Positive results from first research well
The first research well in Sochaczew was drilled at Okrezna Street thru a PLN 10 million subsidy. It was part of the first four cities in Poland (along with Szaflary, Sieradz, and Ladek Zdrój) to receive co-financing for geothermal projects back in 2018.
Deputy Mayor Dariusz Dobrowolski recounted that drilling of the first well was done to 1.5 kilometers depth, encountering water at 44 to 46 °C. After an economic analysis, the PEC submitted an application to the NFOSiGW for co-financing of the construction of the plant. In July 2023, Minister Maciej Malecki confirmed that the project had passed all stages of evaluation and that it will be implemented.
The shift to geothermal will provide a clean heat source for Sochaczew, but it is equally important for PEC to be partially independent of the fluctuations of the global gas prices. The biggest challenge for heat distribution in the city will be the construction of the networks connecting the boiler rooms in the city center. As many as seven of the eight PEC boiler rooms are planned to be connected to the network, thus providing geothermal heat to the entire city center and all major housing estates.
Source: Tu Sochaczew
