The construction of the Weżerów–Przewóz gas pipeline has been completed. The investment by GAZ-SYSTEM will improve the stability of natural gas supplies and create conditions for the further development of low-emission energy and heat production in the Krakow agglomeration. The project required 46 underground crossings with a total length of nearly 4 km, and along the route archaeologists identified 48 sites with remnants of settlements specific to this region.
On June 30, 2026, a conference was held at the Nowa Huta Cultural Centre to summarise the construction of the Weżerów–Przewóz gas pipeline. The event was attended by Dariusz Bogdan, member of the GAZ-SYSTEM management board, as well as representatives of local and county authorities, including Edyta Klimowska-Bobula, director of the Emergency Notification Department of the Małopolskie Voivodeship Office; Elżbieta Burton, starost of Krakow County; Anna Patrylak, head of the FEDE Centre at the Oil and Gas Institute – National Research Institute; and Henryk Orczykowski, president of the management board of Stalprofil.
– Energy security starts with modern infrastructure. The Weżerów–Przewóz gas pipeline is the best example of this. It is a project of high technical complexity, carried out using advanced technologies and under conditions requiring both engineering precision and respect for the region’s archaeological heritage. The result is clear: greater reliability of gas supplies for Krakow and Lesser Poland, new development opportunities for businesses, and a strong impetus for energy transformation and economic growth of the entire region – said Dariusz Bogdan, member of the GAZ-SYSTEM management board.
A backbone for regional energy transition
The newly built pipeline is 45 km long and has a diameter of up to 700 mm. It runs through the municipalities of Słomniki, Radziemice, Kocmyrzów-Luborzyca and Koniusza, as well as the city of Krakow (Nowa Huta and Podgórze districts). The investment significantly increases the availability of natural gas in the Małopolskie Voivodeship while strengthening the region’s energy security.
New infrastructure will allow for increased capacity to supply existing industrial customers and connect new entities. The pipeline will, among other things, deliver the natural gas needed to operate combined-cycle gas turbine units at the Krakow Combined Heat and Power Plant, supporting the development of modern, low-emission energy and heat sources.
A key aspect of the investment is the connection of the new pipeline with the North–South Corridor transmission main. This solution will enable two-way network supply, increasing the reliability and continuity of gas deliveries.
Technical challenges and historical discoveries
The design documentation for the Weżerów–Przewóz pipeline was prepared by the GAZ-SYSTEM Design Office. Particular planning attention was required for the section running through Nowa Huta, where numerous industrial, road and rail infrastructure facilities are concentrated, and residential development is dynamically expanding. The chosen route reconciled the city’s development needs with the highest technical and safety standards.
One of the most technologically demanding sections was the Przewóz area in Krakow’s Podgórze district. The location of two gas stations and the execution of two trenchless crossings under the Vistula River on a relatively small, urbanised site posed a major technical, organisational and logistical challenge. An additional difficulty was working in the vicinity of existing gas pipelines, which in the final phase were connected to the new infrastructure. In total, 46 trenchless crossings with a total length of about 3.9 km were made. Among them, two HDD crossings under the Vistula River: 1,087 m for the DN 700 pipeline and 634 m for the DN 500 pipeline.
The completed investment also brought exceptional archaeological discoveries. In several locations along the pipeline route, traces of settlement from the early Neolithic to modern times were uncovered. At 48 archaeological sites covering a total area of over 1,000 ares, archaeologists found storage pits, hearths, remains of residential huts, skeletal graves and elements of military fortifications. All work was carried out under the supervision of the conservator of monuments and in cooperation with teams of archaeologists, allowing both the smooth execution of the investment and the preservation of priceless historical artefacts.
GAZ-SYSTEM received co-financing for the construction of the Weżerów–Przewóz pipeline from the European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, Environment 2021–2027 programme, amounting to over PLN 100 million.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Gaz-System
