The construction of a photovoltaic installation at the site of the “BÓBR” Intermunicipal Union on Graniczna Street in Bolesławiec consists of three photovoltaic installations with a combined capacity of 500 kW. The investor behind the project, worth PLN 1,934,300.15, is the “BÓBR” Intermunicipal Union. The installations received 95% funding from the Government Polish Deal Fund.
PWiK has 22 photovoltaic installations with a combined capacity of 1,400 kW, which, together with the biogas plant, are capable of producing more than 2,500 megawatt-hours annually. This accounts for more than half of the energy consumed by all of the company’s facilities, of which there are more than 200. Thanks to PWiK’s installations, more than 1,500 tonnes of CO2 do not enter the atmosphere each year. This is an important contribution to the environment.
“None of this would have been possible without excellent cooperation with the rural municipality, with which we created a model that arouses envy in many places, because the heads of other water and wastewater companies come to our company and learn how to achieve this high standard of management,” said Piotr Roman during the ceremony. “Thanks to initiatives like these, water and wastewater prices in Bolesławiec are significantly lower than the provincial average. Not to mention the quality of our water. These are data based on official documents presented by Polish Waters,” the mayor added.
The mayor emphasized that Bolesławiec has undertaken many initiatives supporting environmental protection. He mentioned MZK’s electric buses and the planned purchase of a fourth such vehicle for the fleet. He recalled the first electric garbage truck in Lower Silesia, purchased by MZGK, as well as the installation of renewable energy sources at new investments, such as the kindergarten on Narcyzów Street and the new Ceramics Museum, whose opening is planned for early April. He also added that the city of Bolesławiec and Orange Polska, as partners, won the main prize in the 2021 Smart City Poland Award competition in the “The Most Smart City” category [w wolnym tłumaczeniu: najmądrzejsze miasto] for implementing innovative solutions in local-government units that effectively combine modern technologies with the needs of local communities.
The treatment plant on Graniczna Street is being modernized, and the ability to obtain external funding means that 95% of the nearly PLN 2,000,000 investment comes from acquired funds.
A good, well-written project and the right decision today mean that Bolesławiec is entering a new era of energy self-sufficiency for its wastewater treatment plant.
“There is complete agreement between the municipality and the city,” said Roman Jaworski. “We form one agglomeration, and I hope that in this matter there will be full agreement from beginning to end. Mr. President, I sincerely thank all the employees for the excellent operation of the company. PWiK is a company that has focused on renewable energy from beginning to end and is a leader in this area. All the decisions we make are made for the benefit of the municipality’s and the city’s residents,” added the deputy head of Bolesławiec Municipality.
“More than one company would like to have owners like PWiK Bolesławiec has,” said Grzegorz Kozłowski. “Owners who not only do not take dividends every year, but also obtain external funds and equip the company with new assets—assets that help reduce operating costs, which naturally translates into lower prices for our residents. Thanks are also due to the councillors of Bolesławiec City Council and Bolesławiec Municipal Council for adopting the appropriate budget resolutions enabling this investment to be carried out. I would also like to thank everyone directly involved in this investment: representatives of the Bóbr Intermunicipal Union, our employees supervising the work, and Eko Energia. I thank Mr. Jerzy Herbut, the manager of our Tauron region, for fully cooperating in resolving the problems. And there were quite a few of them,” the president added.
PWiK’s next investments in 2024 will include expanding the biogas installation from 200 to 300 kW, which will allow it to produce 30% more energy from biogas. This surplus will be balanced to supply additional company facilities with energy. There will also be two more photovoltaic farms: a 330 kW farm at the Modłowa water treatment plant and a 100 kW farm in Bolesławiec. In 2025, only the construction of a large photovoltaic farm at one of the company’s selected facilities will remain to achieve full energy self-sufficiency.
“We have already asked the municipalities to amend their local spatial development plans to enable these investments,” the president said. “We are also considering building a hydroelectric power plant on the Bóbr River at Spacerowa Street. We have already begun cooperating with Wrocław University of Science and Technology, which is preparing a detailed concept for us, including an economic viability analysis of the project. After collecting all the data, we will make the final decision in consultation with the mayor and the municipal head. I would also like to say that we want to invest in energy storage facilities. We will use tanks that once served as open fermentation chambers and were very troublesome for residents. They are now out of service, but we intend to use them as peak pumped-storage energy facilities. The system will work by pumping treated wastewater when there is a surplus of solar energy and then releasing it through electric turbines when energy demand is higher. Today we are certain that, thanks to renewable-energy investments and the low water losses we have maintained for years—below 10%, and this year even 8%—our prices are among the lowest in Lower Silesia. We are also convinced that further investments will allow us to maintain this trend,” the president declared.