Martin Oxley, CEO of the British Polish Chamber of Commerce (BPCC), said: “If there are two areas of greatest interest when it comes to the Polish economy these days, they are infrastructure and energy. If Poland is to increase its share of energy generated through renewables to 20% by 2020, from 3% today, it means a vast amount of investment will be required.”

An example of Britain and Poland working together for a renewable energy solution can be found in Białystok where, for 30 years, household waste has been piled up in three large rubbish mountains in Hryniewicze. The smelly gases that emanate from them have been annoying local people, but now, thanks to the investment of a British firm, Ener-G, the gases are being turned into electrical power. Since January 2009, the Hryniewicze biogas plant has been producing 1,150 kWh of electricity, providing power for 5,100 homes in the neighbourhood. The methane gas, which has a high calorific value, is obtained by sinking wells deep into the mounds of fermenting household waste. The gas is specially prepared and pumped into a boiler, where it is burnt, powering a generator which produces electricity, which is then sold to the local electricity company.

There’s always a risk with this type of investment – there is no guarantee that there will be enough gas, or that it will be of the right chemical composition. Like drilling for oil, there’s no guarantee that the investment will be profitable. ENER-G has not yet finished the work on the site – it will be digging more wells to increase the amount of gas collected and will allow more power to be generated. Everything suggests that the bio-powerplant in Hryniewicze will be a success.



This is a win-win-win investment. The smell associated with the rubbish heaps has been noticably reduced. The communal operator of the waste tips does not have to spend money in removing gas from them, as required by law, and part of the money that comes from selling the electricity goes to the communal company (which is 100% owned by the city of Białystok). The environment also benefits, as energy obtained this way is entirely renewable, and therefore qualifies for green certificates.



Another British investment in renewable energy, which will be coming on-stream in May, is Torftech’s bio-waste powered combined heat and power plant in Świdnica. Using waste straw from crop production, the high-technology boiler dries the feedstock as it gasifies it, generating electricity in the process. The residue left from the straw is returned as fertiliser to the fields. Torftech’s 5 MW plant produces heat as well as electricity; hot water from the boiler will be used to heat local homes in winter. The straw feedstock for the plant – it gasifies a ton and half every hour – comes from local farms, no further than 20 to 30 km away.



Torftech has been manufacturing its boilers in Poland for export to markets like Canada, Holland, Denmark and Germany, but the Świdnica plant will be the first such commercial project undertaken by the company in Poland itself.



These two examples show how innovative British technology is being invested in Poland, which shows plenty of potential as a market for renewable energy.



On 24th February, the BPCC will hold its second Renewable Energy Forum, with the aim of exploring the potential (and also the barriers) of Poland as a country in which to invest.(BPCC)