Katowice Combined Heat and Power Plant celebrated its 20th anniversary in October. Let us recall the most important facts from its magnificent history.

The Plant operated within the structures of the Południowy Okręg Energetyczny [Southern Power Region] early in the 1980’s under the firm Zespół Elektrociepłowni w budowie [Group of Combined Heat and Power Plants in construction] with the seat in Łaziska Górne. In 1983, the firm was changed into Zespół Elektrociepłowni w Katowicach w budowie [Katowice Group of Combined Heat and Power Plants in construction] and in April 1985, a state company was established - PdOEn – which was divided in January, 1989. Katowice Group of Combined Heat and Power Plants was established, the so called Zecik, which included all Silesian Combined Heat and Power Plants. The state owned company Katowice Combined Heat and Power Plant [EC Katowice] was established in July, 1990. The Plant was transformed into the State Treasury joint stock company in November, 1993. The company was incorporated into PKE in the year 2000.

The Combined Heat and Power Plant - designed in 1970’s – was to be the central heat source for the inhabitants of Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy [Upper Silesia Industrial Region]. It was built on the border of Katowice and Siemianowice Śląskie, away from the centres of the cities but simultaneously close to the receivers of heat energy. Construction of pulverised fuel boilers was planned in the first stage and coordinated heat generating blocks in the second stage. Unfortunately, after starting up two boilers WP-120 with heat capacity 144 MWt early in 1985 and a boiler WP–200 with capacity 233 MWt in 1991 further investment was stopped. Heat Distribution Company in Katowice received the heat generated in the company.

The company Management Board intended to transform the heat generating plant into combined heat and energy plant where both heat and power would be produced. These plans were in line with the plans of Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne [Polish Power Grid company], which announced a competition for restoration and modernisation investment projects. EC Katowice submitted the application to build a heat generating block BCF with a circulating fluidized bed boiler. The idea was approved and, after negotiations, a long term contract was signed in December 1996, for the supply of electrical energy. Preparations to finance the investment commenced. The main contractor of the BCF-100 block, one of the largest in the industry, was Elektrim. The contract was signed in mid 1997. Construction of the heat generating unit with the cost of 451 million PLN and capacity of 135 MWe and 200 MWt lasted 27 months and was financed by the investor’s own resources (40,2 million PLN), a loan (312,8 million PLN) provided by a consortium of banks (Bank Śląski and Bank Przemysłowo-Handlowy, Bank Zachodni, Kredyt Bank PBI and PKO BP), preferential funds from NFOŚiGW [The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management] and WFOŚiGW [The Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management] (60 million PLN) and by the EkoFundusz Foundation, which granted the largest subsidy in its history – 38 million PLN.

The installation was commissioned after 720 hours of trial operation in the end of 1999. Since that time, EC Katowice has been a fully operational combined heat and power plant, which produces heat and power in a coordinated process – in a very efficient, cheap and flexible way, at low cost and in line with all environment protection regulations obligatory in the European Union. EC Katowice was able to radically reduce costs thanks to the application of a unique technology in power industry, i.e. the method of cooling the equipment in a power generating installation.

As there is shortage of water in Silesia, EC Katowice decided to supplement missing water in the turbine cooling system by the sewage form the nearby mechanical and biological sewage treatment plant Centrum in Siemianowice Śląskie. Sewage is prepared with the use of the state of the art membrane micro filtration technology supplied by a Canadian company Zenon System KFT. This allowed for saving 1,35 million cubic meters of potable water and it will be possible to transfer water for technological processes at ‘Jedność’ Tube Rolling Mill, bringing further 600 thousand cubic meters of potable water savings.

Cogeneration of heat and power brought considerable economic and environmental benefits. The potential of a heat generating block with a circulating fluidized bed boiler, which can use the worst types of coal as well as difficult waste (floatation slurry) has been verified and assessed by various experts and bodies. Such studies resulted in receiving numerous awards: the European Medal awarded on October 20, 2000 by the Office of the Committee for the European Integration and Business Centre Club to the Polish best products, which fulfil the EU standards; Ekoprofit Publishing House award – Quality for Environment, in the category of companies and managers – for consistency and practical results in implementation of environment friendly production processes, scope of investment and expenditure as well as effective management of environment and support for education and ecological values in the region and all over the country; Construction of the year 2000 in the competition organised by the Polish Association of Construction Engineers and Technicians, Office for Housing and Urban Development and the General Office of Building Control; June 7, 2002 Ekolaury 2002 – the award of the Polish Chamber of Ecology, in the category: air protection for Cogeneration of heat and power at BCF-100 block; the title of Environment Friendly Company in the competition organised under the auspices of the President of Poland and Ministry of Environment in 2002; the award Polish Ecology Leader 2002 in the product category for cogeneration of heat and power; October 16, 2004 Phoenix – Polish ash industry award w in category producer.

Currently, combined heat and power plant supplies energy to five neighbouring communes; its heat is used by at least over 60 percent of customers from Katowice, part of Sosnowiec, Siemianowice Śl. and Chorzów. In fact, there is a Combined Heat and Power Plant Elcho in Chorzów, but our heat transfer system (three pipelines) is connected with the lines of the American plant and EC Będzin which makes it possible to exchange heat in emergency situations.

When Zbigniew Adamczyk became the General Manager of EC Katowice in 1992, the company employed 650 persons and today – some 320. However that considerable reduction of employment was not due to major layoffs but amicable redundancies, mainly retirements.

Today, General Manager Zbigniew Adamczyk and his personnel may be proud that a large, suburban heat plant has been transformed into one of the most modern combined heat and power plants not only in Poland but in the whole Europe.

By Jolanta Jagusz