Polska Spółka Gazownictwa has signed connection agreements with Tauron Ciepło for its largest combined heat and power plant in Katowice (capacity 28,000 m³/h) and a similar plant in Tychy (9,500 m³/h). These moves mark a significant step in the rapid transformation of Poland’s district heating sector.
The agreements are part of a broader shift away from coal. For PSG, the Katowice connection is linked to a EU-funded project under the FEnIKS programme – construction of a high-pressure gas pipeline from Dąbrowa Górnicza Tworzeń to Bytom Łagiewniki, worth over PLN 170 million. The pipeline will improve gas parameters, increase availability in the Upper Silesian agglomeration and enhance supply security.
Earlier, PSG had already connected two other Tauron Ciepło plants in the region: Elektrociepłownia Bielsko Północ EC2 in Czechowice-Dziedzice and Elektrociepłownia Cieszyn. For both the power and heating sectors, natural gas offers a fast route to emission reduction and system stabilisation, especially as renewables grow.
Record pace of gas connections
– Over the last five years we carried out 213 connections for such entities, with a total capacity of about 230,000 m³/h and a declared volume of around 600 million m³ of gas annually. This process is accelerating dramatically – since 2025 we have signed another 68 agreements. Altogether we are now handling 96 connection contracts with a target volume of nearly 1 billion m³ of transported gas per year – said Jerzy Sitko, member of the management board of Polska Spółka Gazownictwa.
A hybrid future for district heating
Experts see the future of Polish district heating as a hybrid model combining high-efficiency gas cogeneration, renewable sources, energy and heat storage, and the gradual introduction of renewable fuels including biomethane.
– Such an approach can simultaneously ensure security of supply, cost competitiveness and the achievement of climate goals – Sitko added.
Tauron Ciepło is the largest supplier of district heating in the Silesian-Dąbrowa basin and one of Poland’s biggest heating companies. Its network totals about 1,100 km, serving around 280,000 households, i.e. about 840,000 residents. PSG, part of the Orlen group, manages over 200,000 km of gas distribution network, making it the country’s largest gas distribution system operator.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. WNP.PL / Shutterstock
