Kamila Zybura-Pluta from Fortum: By the end of 2027, we want to stop burning coal at all

At what stage of decarbonization of system heating is Fortum?

Fortum began its adventure with decarbonization about 10 years ago. We have invested in a heat and power plant in Zabrze and Częstochowa, in which we have coal coal with alternative fuels such as biomass or RDF. Today we go further. We diversify our solutions for energy transformation and decarbonization.

A great example is the solution that we used in the Wrocław heating system. Wrompa, a Wroclaw heat pump for unwashed sewage is a large -scale, pioneering heat pump. Pioneering because there is no other in Polish heating systems. This solution used in Nordic countries that we moved to Poland. Our hob is a great example of how you can decarbonized and diversify heat sources in heating systems. It has a power of 12.5 MW and can cover a heat demand in a city like Wrocław up to 5 percent.

We have a very ambitious plan to stop burning coal until the end of 2027. We go towards replacing coal with biomass, but also in the direction of electrification. Some such projects are already being implemented, even the modernization of the heat and power plant in Częstochowa.

Let’s go back to the tap for a moment. Is it possible to simply illustrate our viewers and readers how it works, how it produces heat, which later goes to the inhabitants of Wrocław?

In the sewage that is present in every city in Poland, there is some heat energy that can be picked up and used. This is what the heat pump itself serves – it receives heat and transfers it to the heating system of Wrocław. Our tag is an unpaid sewage device. That is why the system we have built consists not only of the pump itself, but also the sewage cleansing system. We must first clean the sewage so that they can be used as a heat source.

One wompe gives a power comparable to about one thousand home heat pumps. It actually works similarly to those mounted at the houses only on a mega scale. It consists of the same elements as evaporator, compressors, condenser. The process is also similar to the home heat pump – we receive heat and direct the heating system, networks, and radiators to the radiators of the inhabitants of Wrocław.

Speaking of the investments themselves, what barriers will you encounter on the road? What could be improved in the country so that the decarbonization process itself and investment plans accelerate?

The stability of the environment – regulatory and legal is important. Each investor must keep this in mind. In Poland, administrative processes are unfortunately still extended. However, we should go not only in the direction of simplification of procedures, but also to introduce a uniform strategy specifying the development directions of the energy and heat sector, so that investors have the stability of making investment decisions. According to various scenarios, we know that the transformation of the heating sector will be very expensive. It can range from 300 to 600 billion, so investment decisions are needed here and now. At the same time, you need the stability of the environment so that they can be undertaken at all.

And what investment plans does Fortum have in Poland?

In our investment program, a departure from coal is heavily emphasized. The first element of the strategy we are already implementing is the modernization of the heat and power plant in Częstochowa. There we go to 100 percent biomass, i.e. wood chips. We want to implement this project at the end of next year. We are also preparing for the reconstruction of the heat and power plant in Zabrze and the decarbonization of peak power towards electrification. We reach for the experience of our colleagues from Finland, who implement a very intensive investment program focused on heating electrification.