Some Bolesławiec residents are having to deal with a longer interruption in heating and hot-water supplies. Zakład Energetyki Cieplnej sp. z o.o. in Bolesławiec has addressed the ongoing work on Wróblewskiego Street and explained why restoring supplies takes time.

In a statement, the company emphasized that the situation described by residents as a failure is not an ordinary breakdown that can be fixed by replacing a single damaged component:

First of all, it should be explained that the project on Wróblewskiego Street involves the complicated reconstruction of existing heating infrastructure, rather than an ordinary breakdown that can be fixed by replacing a damaged component.

The scope of the work is extensive. The existing overhead heating network is to be dismantled and replaced with a new underground network. It was also necessary to construct and commission a temporary solution, followed by the relevant connections.

It is precisely the need to carry out these operations that is causing the temporary interruption in heating and hot-water supplies.

Birds and bats affected the work schedule

One of the most important reasons why the main work could not be carried out earlier involved nature-protection issues. ZEC reports that the construction site was handed over to the contractor on April 14, 2026. In April, an inspection conducted by an ornithologist and a chiropterologist found nesting sites of protected bird species and bats.

On April 30, the company applied to the Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Wrocław for permission to derogate from the prohibitions concerning the destruction of bat roosts and bird nesting sites.

Only on August 19, 2026, did environmental supervision confirm that the heating network could be dismantled without restrictions. The contractor was then supposed to immediately begin the main work.

ZEC firmly emphasizes that it was not possible to begin dismantling the overhead network earlier:

Earlier dismantling of the overhead network was not legally or environmentally permissible at all.

At the same time, the company notes that preparatory work was carried out before the main construction began. This included, among other things, the phased removal of insulation from the existing network under specialist supervision and work related to preparing the temporary network.

Why is the interruption in heating supplies necessary?

After the temporary network was constructed, work began on the existing infrastructure. The current work includes, among other things, dismantling the existing valves and installing new devices and fittings adapted to the parameters of the reconstructed network.

According to ZEC, the network diameter will be reduced from Ø 400 mm to Ø 250 mm.

This type of work requires a technological interruption in heating supplies. The network water must be allowed to cool and the relevant sections of the network must be emptied. Once the connection to the temporary network is completed, they will be refilled and reheated.

The contractor is currently carrying out work with two teams simultaneously, in two heating-network chambers.

ZEC: more workers do not automatically mean a shorter interruption

The company also addresses expectations that increasing the number of workers should allow the work to be completed more quickly:

More workers do not automatically mean a shorter interruption.

As ZEC explains, work on heating infrastructure must be carried out in a specific technological sequence. It requires, among other things, connections to be made, the safety of people and equipment to be ensured, and appropriate quality and environmental requirements to be observed. Not all tasks can be performed simultaneously.

The company once again emphasizes the difference between repairing a breakdown and reconstructing the network:

Reconstructing the network is not repairing a breakdown.

In the case of the project on Wróblewski Street, the work involves dismantling the existing infrastructure, creating a new system, and securing supplies during the subsequent stages of modernization.

ZEC apologizes to residents for the inconvenience

Zakład Energetyki Cieplnej acknowledges that the interruption in heating and hot-water supplies is burdensome for residents. However, the company points out that the work schedule was affected both by technological considerations and by safety requirements and nature-protection regulations:

Residents have the right to expect the project to be carried out efficiently. They also have the right to know why certain work could not be performed earlier.

Among the factors affecting the implementation of the project, ZEC lists the network-reconstruction technology resulting from the design documentation, the need to maintain system continuity at each stage, safety requirements, the need to construct the temporary network and connections, and the limited time before the start of the heating season.

The company assures residents that it is committed to completing the work as quickly as possible:

Yes, residents are experiencing inconvenience today. That is precisely why we want the work to be completed as quickly as possible. However, this does not mean that it can be accelerated at the expense of safety or quality of execution.

Finally, ZEC also addresses the scope of the project itself and apologizes to residents for the inconvenience associated with it.

The difficulty of the project—the need to lay the new network “along the existing route”—is causing inconvenience for our heat customers, which we understand and for which we apologize. However, the intensity of the work being carried out suggests that the announced period of the technological interruption will be shortened.

What do you think? We invite you to join the discussion.