Economy Prize of President of Republic of Poland

New borehole Bańska PGP-3

Economy and ecology

It’s been 20 years since the founda-tion of Geotermia Podhalańska. It’s long enough to summarize both the company’s operation and the ways of using renewable energy sources in Poland.

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This economy award is sometimes called “Polish Economy Nobel Prize”. It honours contribution to economic development in Poland.

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In May 2013 the drilling of new borehole Bańska PGP-3 was finished. The borew-hole is 3400 m (TVD) deep, as planned.

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MagazineCommemorative edition

Economy and ecology – always for the good

For more than two decades Podhale has been the positive example of how to use renewable, ecologically clean sources of heating energy. We speak with Czesław Ślimak, the CEO of PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. about the company’s activities so far.

It’s been 20 years since the founda-tion of Geotermia Podhalańska. It’s long enough to summarize both the company’s operation and the ways of using renewable energy sources in Poland. How would you evaluate this period in company’s history?

Czesław Ślimak: – The geothermal project in Podhale was the fi rst of this type in Poland. Initially it was realized as a scientifi c project but quickly it changed into commercial undertaking. Geotermia Podhalańska as a company was built from scratch so it required lots of investments, but it was worth every penny. Today we are a modern energy provider using Earth’s heat that is geothermal wells. We can say that we were both pioneers and models to follow. The 20 years of company’s operation was a time of systematic de-velopment in both obtaining new heat sources and its distribution – every year we connect dozens of new buildings to our network.

How do Podhale and Geotermia Podhalańska compare to other Euro-pean and Polish producers of energy from geothermal waters?

– It is defi nitely the biggest producer of geothermal energy in Poland. In the National Plan of Action concerning Renewable Energy Sources Geotermia Podhalańska was called the biggest geothermal heating system in Europe as far as target capacity and heat pro-duction is concerned.

It is clear that Polish people begin to view alternative, ecological energy sources in a positive way. Did the in-habitants of the districts that you co-operate with needed to be persuaded to see the advantages of geothermy? Did you need to bust some myths or clarify concerns?

– In the beginning we connected a couple of buildings in Bańska Niżna closest to the geothermal well for free. People could see that this is working and is eff ective and safe, so with time more and more people got convinced of the advantages of geothermy. The most important thing was the positive opinion of the people who started us-ing geothermy fi rst. The inhabitants understood that this is economically stable and in the same ecological heat-ing solution.

If we compare the cost of heating buildings with geothermal energy with the cost of heating with natural gas or heating oil, it is in favor of geo-thermal energy. How would you con-vince people who prefer burning coal, as it is still cheaper energy source?

– First of all, geothermal energy is more convenient – our system is virtually service-free. I would also give the argu-ment of safety (especially fi re safety) and the fact that it is non-exhaustible geothermal well. I think that more and more inhabitants, also under the infl u-ence of tourists, appreciate clean air in Podhale and geothermy guarantees it will last.

Did the proportion of individual re-cipients to institutional recipients change considerably during these years? Which group constitutes the biggest percentage of clients?

– We provide heat to almost 1400 re-cipients and 80% of them are the indi-vidual clients. It is worth mentioning though that the institutional clients, such as hotels, pensions, public build-ings etc infl uence how big the heat

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sales are. We sell heat to clients in Zakopane, Poronin and Biały Dunajec. Our heat is used by City Halls, schools and also Tatra National Park and Aqua Park in Zakopane.

In your opinion, what is the biggest success of Geotermia Podhalańska? What do you think you still need to think about and work on?

– The geothermal system in Podhale is part of the district’s landscape. Our big-gest success is that we are a modern

company that attracts more and more clients. Because of our actions the quality of air in Podhale has improved greatly. We managed to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide by 300 thousand tons. The geothermal project is not only an undertaking of primary signifi cance for the natural environ-ment, but it is also economically worth-while.

What are the company’s  plans for next few months and for longer pe-riod of time?

– This year we plan to include another well which would be third already, thanks to which we will increase the power of geothermal system by more than 50%. It will allow us to connect another several hundred buildings in Podhale to our network. Our long term aim is to develop the heating network, so that the biggest possible area of Podhale is provided with ecological Earth heat.

Geothermal energy – renewable and healthy source of heatThe inner heat of the Earth, accumulated in rocks and water fi lling the fractures and pores within rocks is the geothermal energy, also called geothermy.

Our planet, and especially its lithosphere, is built so that the temperature rises with the increase of depth towards the cent-er of the Earth. If there is water deep inside Earth, its temperature can reach several dozen degrees Celsius or even above 100°C. In districts with height-

ened volcanic activity (such as Iceland for instance) we can observe such water sur-facing in the form of geysers. Thanks to the fact that this is virtually non-exhaust-ible energy source – as we speak of the red hot Earth center here – it belongs to renewable energy sources category.

The renewability, ecological aspect and independence from climatic conditions – all these advantages of geothermy point to the fact that it is worth using for heating and not only in households, but also in agriculture, balneotherapy and recreation.

Podhale is one of the most prospective districts in Poland for using geothermal energy as it possesses good thermal water aquifers and off ers great pos-sibilities for their exploitation. There-fore it provides good basis for heat en-gineering, recreation, balneotherapy and other uses of geothermy. It was in this region that the energetic use of geothermal waters was initiated in Po-land. Using the geothermal heat and re-placing fossil fuels, especially coal, with geothermal heat contributed to lower-ing air pollution and the improvement of the environment in the region. It led to visible and measurable benefi ts for the environment such as limiting the sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide and sus-pended dust emission.

The recipients of geothermal heat appreciate its advantages, such as:

comfort of managing heat appliances and devices,

better possibility of regulating the temperature of the heated space,

the possibility to observe the heat consumption, which allows savings,

limiting of air pollution within closest area,

stable and competitive prices.

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The word „geothermy” is derived from Greek „geo”, meaning Earth, and „therme”, that is heat. Already Romans used this universal and non-exhaustible energy source, using thermal waters for bathing and heating households. The modern interest in geothermy initially focused on its use for recreation and rehabilitation. The next stage was us-ing it for heating households and elec-trifi cation. One can say that the natural cause for development in this area was human tendency to enjoy comfort and relaxation as well as common sense and economic arguments.

Energy from Earth in the world

Nowadays the geothermal energy is used directly in 78 countries. It is used mainly for heating space and also for recreation and healing. Other uses are for instance: heating greenhouses, crops, grounds, water breeding, drying

of crops, countering the icing of com-munication roads. The countries leading in using geothermal energy for these purposes are China, USA, Sweden, Tur-key and Japan. Electricity is produced on the basis of geothermy in 24 coun-tries, including the USA, Filippines, Indo-nesia, Mexico, Italy and Iceland among others.

The geothermal energy was particular-ly in fashion in the 60’s of 19th century in the United States, where it was used for heating households and baths. In Eu-rope we owe the breakthrough in this area to Italian scientist and duke Piero Ginori Conti, who invented the fi rst pro-totype of geothermal electrical plant in 1904. The steam coming from geother-mal well powered steam engine. Electri-cal plant Larderello 1 was put in opera-tion in 1912 and is still operating.

The importance of geothermal energy increased considerably in the 70’s due to oil crisis and search for alternative power sources. The governments began co-fi nancing geothermal programs in Germany, Sweden, Canada, Great Britain and the United States. Nowadays this kind of energy is important also for eco-logical reasons.

The heat of Earth in human serviceHumanity has been using Earth heat for ages. Throughout centuries, the technology and ways of using it changed, but geothermy has always been close to humans and their needs.

Did you know that:

geothermal energy is one of the purest forms of energy, as it releases minimum amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (only a fraction of what is released in fossil fuels combustion)? It also does not produce any other gases such as nitro or sulphur oxide.

Baths in Jaszczurówka, 1904. Archival materials, courtesy of Tatra National Park .

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Geothermal Podhale

The interest in using geothermal wells in Podhale started already in the middle of 19th century. The warm springs in Jaszczurówka near Zakopane were very popular. Their existence is connected to the phenomenon of infi ltration, that is movement of rain water to great depths underground. The water is heated there and rises to surface again along tectonic ruptures – the average temperature of water in the swimming pool was 18o C.

Warmer thermal waters were elicited several dozen years later, in 1963, from the borehole in Zakopane (in the slope of Antałówka) which is 3000m deep. These wa-ters were initially used in swimming pools, now they are used in aqua park. The real breakthrough for Polish geothermy was starting the borewhole Bańska IG-1 in 1981 and subsequently opening the fi rst Polish geothermal plant.

Did you know that:

Reykjavik, the capitol of Iceland, is heated solely by geothermal energy coming from North Atlantic ridge? At the moment Iceland is the biggest producer of electrical energy per capita and most of it is coming from water sources. Reykjavik is one of the cleanest cities in the world.

From scientifi c to practical use

The progenitor of obtaining energy from the in-side of Earth was the Institute for Mineral and Energy Resources of Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN). The PAN experimental Geothermal Plant in Bańska Niżna was created between 1989-1993. The production of heat was based on wells Bańska IG-1 and Biały Dunajec PAN-1. Several fi rst build-ings were attached to geothermal heat network. In the next stage the scientifi c project was trans-formed into commercial undertaking. In 1994 pilot heat installation was put into operation and sub-sequently expanded later. Nowadays the producer and distributor is PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. and it systematically connects to the heat system new customers from the Zakopane, Szafl ary, Po-ronin and Biały Dunajec communities. The com-pany provides for 35% of heat needs in Zakopane.

Old thermal pool in Jaszczurówka.Archival materials, courtesy of Tatra National Park.

Thermal pool in Polana Szymoszkowa.

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Every year PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. connects dozens of new recipients to geothermal heating network. In such a way – in cooperation with the inhabitants as well as companies and institutions choosing this way of space heating – it con-tributes to lowering the amount of gases and ashes emission, that usually accompany burning of fossil resources. Therefore, much less substances harmful for the environment and human health such as of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and suspend-ed dust are released into the atmosphere. Using renewable energy from the geothermal wells is a very ecological solu-tion, which is very important especially in the Podhale region, which is one of the most beautiful in Poland and where four National Parks Tatras, Gorczanski, Babia Góra and Pieniny are located. Podhale is very attractive for tourism, for which clear air and water as well as unchanged natural environment are of utmost importance.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Burning of coal is the main basis of energy and heat produc-tion in Poland. The industrial production is subject to strict ecological regulations, but in private heating stoves and lo-cal coal boiler houses the burning is very often less eff ective. Cheap solid fuels of low quality and energetic value contribute to air pollution in big extent. In the same time, the emission of carbon dioxide contributes to the rise of Earth temperature and global warming.

Connecting new clients to geothermal heating network fosters eliminating the local sources of CO2 emission and increasing the ecological eff ect. Using geothermal energy in Podhale region enabled to lower the amount of carbon dioxide emission by 300 thousand tons during last 20 years and the

Geothermal energy – ecological way of heatingFor ages humanity has used various natural resources, mainly fossil resources such as coal, earth oil and natural gas for heating and later for producing energy as well. Nowadays the rise of ecological awareness and search for non-exhaustible energy resources make the geothermy healthy and reasonable choice.

The condition of air systematically improves thanks to connecting new recipients to geothermal heating system.

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amount increases systematically: in 1999 as a result of new connections the emission of CO2 was reduced by 4,9 tons, whereas in 2012 by 36,38 tons – over seven times more!

Sulphur dioxide (SO2)

Probably everybody has heard of „acid rains”, which are the result of the sulphur dioxide combining with water steam and lead to the destruction of greenery and degradation of soil. High concentration of SO2 in the air is very harmful to hu-mans, especially people suff ering from asthma and chronic lung diseases. Sulphur dioxide is the product of combustion of fossil resources containing sulphur and its emission into

atmosphere is connected with using coal for heating, which is still very popular. Hence, similarly as with the carbon di-oxide – using geothermal energy is better for ecology and human health.

Between 1994-98, that is before the commencement of ge-othermal project, the average yearly concentration of SO2 equaled 32,6 μg/m3. Thanks to connecting new customers to geothermal heating network the condition of air systemati-cally improves: between 2004–2010 the concentration of SO2 was three times lower, that is about 8–13 μg/m3.

4,9

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

5,2

12,7

18,922,1 23,5 24,6 25,2

29,330,9 32,45 33,53

35,54 36,38The CO2 reduction resulting from new connections (in thousand tons of CO2 per year)

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Heat circulation – technical solutionsPrzedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. is the biggest producer of heat using ecological energy of thermal water in Poland.

At present the geothermal system con-sists in two wells doublets: Bańska PGP-1, Biały Dunajec PGP-2 and Bańska IG-1, Biały Dunajec PAN-1, the geothermal pumping system and ventilator cool-ing system. The thermal water is be-ing brought up from the aquifers via boreholes, and then it passes through board heat exchangers and heats the water in the system. The heat is used to heat buildings, pools as well as to prepare hot usage water. After receiv-ing the thermal energy, the thermal wa-ter is partly injected back into the well, and partly cooled and pumped into the surface stream. Some amount of the re-turning water is directed to the recrea-tional area Termy Szafl ary, where it is used not only for heating buildings but also – after treatment – in pool basins.

The heating system of PEC Geotermia Podhalańska is divided into three circuits:

1.Geothermal system

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2.Heating network

3.Inside

installations at recipients’

buildings

The heating network PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. was made from pre-insulated pipes only and its joint length is 100 km. The water system is made for nominal pressure of 16 bars. Because of huge diff erences in ordinates of the ter-rain, the system was divided into four pressure parts..

The elements of heating network

• heating bus-bar,• pumping station for municipal wa-

ter in Base Load Plant Bańska – Biały Dunajec,

• three pumping stations Pozawodzie 703 m ASL., Poronin 732 m ASL., Ustup 762 m ASL) with the pressure reduc-tion systems,

• pumping plant for municipal water with pressure reduction system in Peak Load Plant,

• Peak Load Plant,• pumping stations for municipal water

(Szymoszkowa 860 m ASL and Bristol 883 m ASL),

• distributory network and heating links.

The recipients of the heat are equipped with compact heat modules consisting in board heat exchangers, among oth-er things. They are also equipped with automatic weather system, allowing to program many functions such as low-ering the temperature at night or re-acting to wind or outside temperature changes.

The board heat exchangers are small in relation to the area of heat exchange and have high coeffi cient of heat con-ductivity. They are resilient, corrosion-proof and easy to use.

The whole system is steered by two working stations in Base Load Plant and Peak Load Plant.

YEARS

9

1993

THE FOUNDATION

OF GEOTERMIA

PODHALAŃSKA S.A.

1995building the distribution

network in Biały Dunajec

2013

fi nish

ing d

rillin

g Bańsk

a

PGP-3 w

ell 3400 m

(TVD)

deepGETTIN

G THE E

CONO

MY

AWARD O

F THE

PRESIDENT O

F THE

REPUBLIC O

F PO

LAND,

the m

ost p

rest

igio

us

econom

y award

in P

oland,

calle

d by m

any media

“Polis

h Eco

nomy N

obel

Prize”

1994implementing the pilot stage of project “Providing heat to Bańska Niżna” – fi rst geothermal installation in operation in Poland

1996

beginning of building Base Load Plant in Bańska

Niżna, connecting 27 households in Biały Dunajec to

heating network

20 Y

EAR

S O

F P

EC G

EOTE

RMIA

PODHALAŃSKA

1997

end of drilling of boreholes in

Biały Dunajec PGP-2 and Bańska

PGP-1

P

1998

foundation of

Przedsiębiorstwo

Energetyki Cieplnej

Geotermia Podhalańska

S.A. (merger w

ith PEC

„Tatry”),

putting Peak

Boilerhouse in

operation in Zakopane

H

2010 realization of the project of joint

implementation “Expanding and

developing geothermal energy,

Zakopane, Poland”,

beginning electricity production and

heat in highly effi cient cogeneration

in three gas engines of 0,543Mwe

and 0,7 MWt each

2008achieving heat sales on the level of over

324 TJ/ year and surpassing the 50 MW of

power ordered at the end of 2008

2009introducing new “Strategy for development of PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. in 2009-2020”,

getting the concession for producing electrical energy and drilling borehole Bańska PGP-3,

building the thermal water pumping station rising the effi ciency of geothermal system by 10%

2002–2007 expanding the heating network

– connecting new recipients in

Zakopane and communities of

Biały Dunajec and Poronin2001

fi nishing build

ing the heating bus-bar Bańska

Niżna – Peak Boilerhouse in

Zakopane,

putting in operation Base Load Plant Bańska

Niżna,

connecting new recipients in Zakopane and

Biały Dunajec

1999

–200

0

expan

ding

the

heat

ing

netw

ork in

Zakopan

e

2012

2011

beginning of drilling of

new production w

ell

Bańska PGP-3;

reaching the heat sales

level of over 383 TJ/ year

and achieving over 57MW

of power ordered at the

end of 2012;

fi nishing the project

“Developm

ent of

infrastructure for

production, sending and

distribution of geothermal

energy in Zakopane, Biały

Dunajec and Szafl ary”.

reconstructing the injection well

Biały Dunajec PAN-1

20 Y

EAR

S O

F P

EC G

EOTE

RMIA

PODHALAŃSKA

187 TJ

324 TJ

2008

2002

INVESTOR HOSTERU

Technology

Awarded for developmentThe satisfaction of customers is the most important award for a company. But PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. is also very proud of the prestigious awards that it has won during past couple of years:

economy award of President of Republic of Poland Xi edition 2013 in the category “green economy” for contribution to modernization and development of economy. It’s one of the most prestigious economical

awards in Poland, sometimes called “Polish Economy Nobel Prize”. The aim of this reward is to promote positive models and companies that are successful both nationally and internationally. It allows to honor companies and scientifi c teams which contribute to economic development in Poland and create positive image of Polish economy.

award of President of Republic of Poland Xi edition 2013 in the category “green

Małopolska economy award 2012 in category “Small and medium entrepreneur”, given by the chapter of the prize, consisting in group of experts in economy and science. The award is founded by the authorities of the voivodeship. The award is confi rmation of our input in economic development of Małopolska voivodeship and promoting it. It is proof of appreciation of high quality of our service and technological solutions as well as good fi nancial condition and the direction of development of the company. The geothermal heating system introduced by the company is innovative in the European scale and the implementation of project of using geothermal energy in Podhale has become the beginning of geothermy development in Poland.

Leader of innovation on the Market 2013 – Quality, Creativity, effectiveness. The title awarded by the board of „Economy sphere”, the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna’s insert.

6th place in 2012 in Polish Ranking of Best Companies in energy and Heating Branch published by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (7th place in 2011).

Business gazelle 2011 – the title awarded by the editors of „Puls Biznesu” for small and medium companies which develop most dynamically and are successful on the national market.

The award given to a company – and hence to its employees – for high quality of services provides motiva-tion to accomplish even more and it also rises the self-esteem and sense of belonging to a successful team.

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The fi nalists were chosen by the chapter of the prize, consisting of professors, economists and journalists, chaired by Wiesław Rozłucki (cofounder of Warsaw Stock Exchange and its fi rst CEO). In order to receive the prize, the company must be appreciated by the specialist as well as meet clear and strict criteria pertaining to the entirety of their enterprise – from economical results to the protection of environment.

Economy Prize of President of Republic of PolandIn 2013 PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. received highest prize in its history, the Economy Prize of President of Republic of Poland. The CEO of the company, Czesław Ślimak, received the statue from President Bronisław Komorowski during offi cial gala.

New borehole Bańska PGP-3In May 2013 the drilling of new borehole Bańska PGP-3 was fi nished. The borewhole is 3400 m (TVD) deep, as planned. After conducting hy-drogeological research it will be connected to existing heating system of PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. with a pipeline.

The drilling of new deep geothermal bore-hole Bańska PGP-3 began in December 2012 in Bańska Niżna, next to borehole Bańska PGP-1 from 1997. The latter provides heating energy for buildings in Zakopane, Szafl ary, Biały Duna-jec and Poronin. As new clients are interested in getting connected to geothermal network, it is necessary to increase the power of geothermal wells. The borehole Bańska PGP-1, although most effi cient in Poland (550 m3/h), is not suffi -cient to satisfy the needs of new clients, there-fore the company took this strategically impor-tant decision which would allow to increase the effi ciency of the whole geothermal system.

After conducting research the borehole will be connected to existing heating network. The heat from the new well will be received by the clients during heating season 2013/2014.

The value of the investment is about 20 mln. PLN.

This prize is sometimes called „Polish Economy Nobel Prize”. It is awarded as an ex-pression of gratitude for the prizewinners’ contribution to economic development of the country and promoting model business solutions and behaviors that led to economic success. The prize is for companies which are successful both nationally and internationally and which create new workplaces and apply to business code of ethics.

– For us it’s a big distinction and reason to be proud. Geotermia Podhalańska is an example of a company using modern technologies for the good of local commu-nity and in the same time caring for natural environment – says Czesław Ślimak, company’s CEO. – We are happy that our work has been appreciated. In the same time this is an impulse for us to work even harder to develop geothermy in Poland.

The offi cial Gala of XI Economy Prize took place on 5th July 2013 in new Congress and Conference Centre in Poznań. Apart from PEC Geotermia Podhalańska, com-panies such as Zakłady Farmaceutyczne Polpharma, KGHM Polska Miedź and Po-wszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski S.A. were also awarded.

The CEO of PEC Geotermia Podhalańska receives the award from President Bronisław Komorowski.

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13

Marek Dziedzicdirector in FWP Sp. z o.o., ZDW Zakopane branch

– We’re using geothermal energy since 2000 in two of our build-ings: Conference and Relaxation Centre “Hyrny” and Holiday House “Sienkiewiczówka” in Zakopane. It is also used in holiday house “Bristol”, which used to belong to FWP and then was given away to Zakopane City Council. Before they were heated by gas or coal. Geothermal heating is much more convenient – when we used to have boiler houses, we needed to hire stokers, bring coal, it was dirty from dust. Now, when we have exchangers, it is clean. Defi nitely it is more ecological solution. We also take care to make savings: therefore we have regulators on the radiators, as well as solar panels.

Jan Ochalikthe operator and dispatcher of geothermal devices Jan Ochalik has been working for PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. for 13 years, starting from May 2000. At the beginning, only Bańska Niżna and fi rst households in Biały Dunajec were heated and the heat exchangers were leased: We didn’t have

Geothermy from diff erent perspectives

the big pumping station back then, the water was injected directly into the well. We only had small pumping station and needed to control regularly whether it functions correctly and if there is no corrosion. Since we have new pumping station and the whole sys-tem is steered by the computer, the work is much more comfort-able and calmer – says Jan Ochalik.

As a system operator he works shifts. His duty is to control the work of geothermal network: during his shift he drives through the area every 4 hours to see if everything is work-ing properly. He begins from pumping station in Biały Duna-jec. He checks the exploitation and injection well heads, the sealing of the network, repairs the damages. He writes eve-rything down in exploitation records, such as the pressure of water, the temperature of pumping and temperature in the network. He also makes sure everything is in order, as Geoter-mia Podhalańska is visited by many visitors and tours.

Jan Ochalik lives in Szafl ary. Similarly to many of his neigh-bors, he also looks forwards to the date when new well is at-tached to heating network. – This network requires almost no service, it is failure-proof, you don’t need to buy and warehouse the coal, you don’t need to worry what to do with the waste from the furnace. And defi nitely the pollution is smaller than it used to be. In the beginning people were not convinced that geothermy is a good solution, but now they are really satisfi ed with it.

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dr, engineer Wiesław Bujakowski Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences

– We cannot forget that between 1989-1993 professors Roman Ney and Julian Sokołowski, knowing the maxim of Stanisław Jerzy Lec: “In order to reach the spring, you need to go against the current”, dared to begin pioneer research. Thanks to their attitude and de-termination in 1993 we were successful and managed to put into operation the fi rst geothermal installation in Podhale and in Poland. How important and how diffi cult that was is only visible from the perspective of time, especially for us – their successors and students who try to develop geothermy further.

Małgorzata Mrugała WFOŚ CEO Małgorzata Mrugała: The main task of WFOŚ (The Provincial Foundation for Environmental Protection and Water Manage-ment) is to fi nance investments and other actions undertaken in order to protect the environment as well as creating optimal conditions for the realization of those tasks in the Małopolska voivodeship. We support searching for geothermal aquifers, espe-cially those which can be used for producing energy. Popularizing geothermal energy is an important element of natural environ-ment protection.

The last 20 year of investing into geothermy proves that it is pos-sible and worth-while to change our habits and invest into re-newable energy. Those investments pay off . The Podhale region, which is a true treasure of nature and is one of the most beautiful places in Poland, has cleaner air now. Thanks to geothermal en-ergy the emission of carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide has low-ered considerably. The condition of natural environment improves systematically, we can protect its natural and tourist qualities. This is benefi cial not only for tourist but also for the inhabitants.

The WFOŚ supports companies and institutions which want to do something useful for the environment and the inhabitants but lack fi nancial resources to do so. We can give PEC Geotermia Pod-halanska as an example, as the company needed to create the whole system from scratch. At fi rst it was really costly, but during last couple of years their profi t increases. Recently Geotermia fi -nanced new borehole with the loan from WFOŚ given on conces-sionary terms.

I’m the director of this branch of FWP since 2001 so I can tell that the cooperation with Geotermia Podhalańska is great. We’re satisfi ed, everything goes smoothly and the fact that FWP uses geothermal energy for more than a decade only confi rms that.

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Supporting local initiatives has always been important for PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. The company en-gages in lots of regional enterprises connected with promoting the culture

For the community of Podhale and ecology

Geotermia Podhalańska is a partner in many char-ity and cultural events which are related to cultur-al heritage of the Podhale region. The company supports many non-governmental organizations and associations as well as events such as:

high mountain movie festival “Spotkanie z fi lmem górskim” in Zakopane,

charity event “Companies from Podhale for children”

International Chamber Music Festival “Muzyka na szczytach” organized by Mieczysław Karłowicz Association in Zakopane,

Concert “Mountain Landscape” by Jerzy Gruszczyński, composer and electronical music performer,

Memorial of Piotr Malinowski – competition in high mountain skiing devoted to the memory of Tatra mountains lifeguard, alpinist and climber.

of Podhale, sport traditions and high mountain activities.

Science on geothermy

Geotermia Podhalańska is a member of Polish Geothermal Society in Cracow, works in close relation with The Min-eral and Energy Economy Research In-stitute of Polish Academy of Sciences.

Locally for culture and sport

In 2011 the company founded the Foun-dation for The Podhale State Higher Vocational School in Nowy Targ, whose task it to promote the school and fa-cilitate its functioning. Thus the com-pany supports the scientifi c activities of the students, such as writing diplo-mas, bachelor and master papers, as well as organizes vocational training for the students. Promoting ecological education is a very important aspect of Geotermia Podhalańska’s activities. It takes part in all the initiatives aiming at spreading information on geothermy and popularizing its ecological use.

The Educational and Informational Centre, located within company’s head-quarters is a place of meetings and con-ferences during which the new achieve-ments in using geothermal energy as well as the advantages connected with it are presented. It allows to spread the knowledge on geothermy in Podhale and popularize the application of geo-thermy in heating, recreation and heal-ing. The example of such undertaking was visit of delegates from Ukraine – among them scientists of Technical Uni-versity of Gas and Oil in Iwano-Frakowsk and the members of self-government from Zakarpacki Oblast. The meeting, fi nanced by Polish Ministry of Foreign Aff airs, took place as a part of project aiming at instructing Ukrainian self-gov-ernments in modern communal service management.

Modern responsible business cannot exist without its environment. Nurturing relationships with local community and sense of belonging to the region result in advantages for everybody: company, its employees and local citizens.

The company also supports many social initiatives and organizations which want to protect the environment, develop culture and satisfy the needs of inhabitants. Among its benefi ciaries are, among others:

Andrzej Brandstatter Foundation PRO ARTIS, which helps disabled children and youth from Podhale as well as other regions of Poland. Their common passion is singing, folk music, culture and high mountain folklore.

Polish Association of Pensioners and Retired People,

TOPR Foundation,

The Association of Jan Kasprowicz work Lovers.

GEOTERMIA MAGAZINE

16

Dreams come true

I got fi rst interested in geothermy al-ready in the 60’s of 20th century, when professor Stanisław Sokołowski was conducting research in Podhale. I met him thanks to doctor Stanisław Bafi a, who lived in Zakopane in “Ornak” villa in the house of Sokołowski family. Dur-ing the drilling in Antałówka professor Sokołowski also lived there. I witnessed the fi rst geothermal water spring out, not so hot yet. We dreamed of using it in thermal pools, so we could swim in such a pool in Równia Krupowa… but it was too soon for that – we only had a huge tank, into which a few people could go at once, but that was all.

Then I found out that in my village of or-igin, Bańska Niżna, there was a borehole from which a very tall column of hot wa-ter sprang. It was supervised by profes-sor Julian Sokołowski of PAN. Second borehole was made no more than 2 km away and hot water was pumped into the ground with pipes. You could feel with your hand how hot it was. We all waited for the results. It was said that it is the possibility to provide heating for whole Podhale region, to eliminate low emission and acid rains which kill the forests. Professor got the Association of the People from Podhale interested in this subject and after the political breakthrough of 1989 he started visit-ing local authorities to fi nd someone interested in cooperation. It is said that one of then-governors said that soon-er the hell will freeze than it would be done! But fi nally prof. Sokołowski got into Szafl ary district and met governor Stanisław Ślimak, who while he was still governor in Nowy Targ, visited French Évry and came across the subject of ge-othermal waters there. So Bańska Niżna was picked for the experiment – most-ly because the conditions are quite dif-fi cult there so it was possible to check how the heating water might be distrib-uted to clients.

Before Easter 1993 a meeting was called in fi re station in Bańska Niżna. Lots of inhabitants were present – it was good

Social worker and regional activist, great supporter of the idea of using geothermal energy, secretary of Social Committee for Heating Bańska Niżna, and one of the fi rst people to join new heating network – Jan Antoł refers his experiences with geothermy.

time for such initiatives: people were cu-rious and enthusiastic and president Lech Wałęsa signed letter of intent concern-ing using geothermal waters. The meet-ing lasted a couple of hours: professor and governor explained the technical is-sues, people were joining the community partnership, with personal investments of 10 thousand zlotys, which back then was more or less equal to the value of two healthy cows. We founded Social Committee for Heating Bańska Niżna, led by Stanisław Borkowski. Members of the committee drove to nearby vil-lages, talked to the owners of grounds and decided how to lead pipes. It was re-ally romantic burst, people were demol-ishing their fences, let the workers into their gardens. In September we started digging and on Christmas fi rst six hous-es were already heated by geothermal energy. It was huge celebration, after mass cardinal Macharski blessed the whole installation. I remember that the fi rst heating devices took lot of space, almost whole bathroom!

In 1994 main part of digging was con-cluded and half the village, that is over 90 houses, were connected to the net-work. In next year the rest of the hous-es were connected. We also fi nally built a thermal pool on the border of Szafl ary and Bańska Niżna. We are re-ally happy that we were the fi rst in Po-land and that we managed to conduct this initiative. Now, after the last bor-ing, we hope that we would be able to connect Szafl ary and Nowy Targ to the network. It would allow us to lower the emission of dust and clear Nowy Targ from fogs and air pollution, which is es-pecially troublesome during winter.

From my own experience I can say that using geothermal energy has many ad-vantages. Firstly, ecology, but it is also convenient and safe. You don’t need to burn coal and you have access to hot water for use at all times. During the winter you can switch on heating, if needed. No one has thought of any-thing better yet!

Jan Antoł, social worker and great advocate of geothermy.

YEARS

17

5number of geothermal wells in operation for Geotermia Podhalańska

megawatts – power ordered by the PEC Geotermia Podhalańska’s clients

575757575757

m3/h – the effi ciency of biggest well Bańska PGP-1

550

tons – the reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emission into atmosphere thanks to new geothermal connections

300 000

GJ –the amount of heating energy sold in 2012

383 738

m3 the amount of geothermal water extracted yearly from the geothermal wells

3 500 000

18

GEOTERMIA in numbers

809 Single-family houses

Multi-family houses 219

220 Other public service buildings

Schools, kindergardens 30Hotel, pensions, holiday-houses 105

the number of communities in Podhale using geothermal network: Szafl ary, Biały Dunajec, Poronin, Zakopane4

1383

the number of buildings connected to heating network, in particular:

1place of Geotermia Podhalańska among the heat producers using the ecological energy of geothermal waters

degrees Celsius is the temperature of geothermal water

86km – the length of heating pipelines

100

19

GEOTERMIA in numbersYEARS

Good energy for the last 20 years!

Printed on environmentally friendly 100% recycled scrap paper, bleached without chlorine gas.

Products marked with an FSC certificate are sourced from a forest managed with respect towards nature and local communities i.e. in line with the Good Forestry Practice.

PRZEDSIĘBIORSTWO ENERGETYKI CIEPLNEJ GEOTERMIA PODHALAŃSKA S.A.

34-500 Zakopaneul. Nowotarska 35a

telephones +48 18 201 50 41, +48 18 201 50 42, +48 18 201 50 43

fax +48 18 201 50 44

geoterm@geotermia.pl www.geotermia.pl