Veolia Term is carrying out decarbonization projects in more than a dozen Polish cities simultaneously. The company uses local synergies and resources such as biogas and waste heat to replace coal in district heating systems. Magdalena Bezulska, CEO of Veolia Term, says the approach is both practical and scalable.
Among the most transformative projects are three flagship investments: Szafir in Tarnowskie Góry, a waste heat recovery installation in Leżajsk, and the so-called Ciepłownia Przyszłości (Heating Plant of the Future) in Lidzbark Warmiński. Each demonstrates a different path away from coal.
In Tarnowskie Góry, Veolia has built a cogeneration unit powered by two gas engines (2 MWt each) and a 12 MWt biomass boiler. The system also includes a 0.99 MWe unit running on natural gas and biogas from the local wastewater treatment plant. – This project shows the optimal fuel mix and creates a synergy between the heating network and the sewage treatment plant. We burn biogas that the plant previously didn’t use – explained Bezulska.
Waste heat and local partnerships
A second reference project is in Leżajsk, where Veolia Wschód and Enerbio Eco built a heat pipeline connecting a biogas plant to Veolia’s heating station. The 0.9 MW installation will deliver 10,000 GJ of energy per year, covering 25-30 percent of the local heating demand. – This is a model of how we can work with local partners to decarbonize – Bezulska stressed.
The third flagship, the Heating Plant of the Future in Lidzbark Warmiński, is a zero-emission installation based on high-efficiency heat pumps, photovoltaic panels, and heat storage systems, including Poland’s largest ground heat storage. All energy for the Astronomów housing estate comes from renewables. The project was co-financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR) and designed by Euros Energy. – We want to scale certain elements of this solution in other locations – announced Bezulska. She added that the system is still in a research phase, and future decisions will depend on the results. Heat prices there are approved by the Energy Regulatory Office and are similar to those in neighboring municipalities.
Capturing heat from industry
Veolia also increasingly taps into waste heat from industrial processes. In Jasło, at the Gamrat plant, heat from air compressors is recovered to produce hot water and heat the hall. In Miasteczko Śląskie, Veolia cooperates with a zinc smelter to use about 6.4 million cubic meters of waste gas from zinc production. In Buk, at the Wavin Polska factory, a system recovers heat from compressed air generation – temperatures reach up to 80 degrees Celsius, feeding a heating node with a 2.9 MW gas boiler to supply the municipal network and industrial facilities.
Veolia has also announced a new waste heat recovery project at Paroc group plants in Trzemeszno, where heat from process furnaces will be fed into the local district heating network. – These projects are a key element of improving energy efficiency and an important direction for our further investments in the transformation process – Bezulska declared.
Źródło: wnp.pl, Fot. wnp.pl
