Environment Minister describing geothermal energy as big chance for Poland

View over Warsaw, Poland (source: flickr/ Nikos Roussos, creative commons)

Alexander Richter 16 Mar 2017

Polish government waking up to the potential of geothermal energy as source of clean heating for its country with its Environment Minister describing geothermal energy as big chance for Poland.

At a recent meeting in Warsaw, Poland, the country’s Minister for the Environment Jan Szyszko made a passionate statement on geothermal energy, “Geothermal Energy is our big chance; it is more than other types of renewable energy, because it is independent from the wind or sun. Geothermal Energy has its place in the Strategy for Responsible Development, which means that it will be supported by the government. The statement was made at a parliamentary conference “Geothermal energy impulse the development of the Polish economy”.

About 90 percent of the total coal resources of the European Union can be found in Poland. The country has one-quarter of Europe’s brown coal resources, the extremely shale gas resources – mentioned.

The Minister added that in addition to conventional energy resources, Poland can also benefit from a very rich renewable energy resources, which is geothermal. – According to the school Professor Julian Sokolowski Polish geothermal resources far exceeding our needs – said Szyszko.

The Minister argued that the advantage of geothermal energy over other types of renewable energy sources include that it is not dependent on weather conditions, eg. wind or sun. It is also efficient – he stressed.

He pointed here, for example, the geothermal resources in Torun, where in accordance with current permits, you can derive more than 350 tons of water at a temperature above 60 degrees Celsius per hour. – With the right number of customers, this is one of the cheapest types of energy – he stressed.

Szyszko pointed out that geothermal energy has its place in the government’s Strategy for Responsible Development (SOR), which means – as pointed out – that will be supported by the government.

This is our big chance. We will implement the government program based on the SOR. Based on its own energy resources, our own technologies, while respecting the specificity of our country. Geothermal Energy is an important element – concluded the Minister.

According to information presented at the conference, Polish geothermal resources spread mainly in the western belt of Szczecin to Lublin. In the center of Polish there are proven reserves, where the water temperature is higher than 50 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, in Lower Silesia and Podhale water temperature reaches up to 80-90 degrees Celsius.

Geothermal Energy source of innovation

Deputy Minister Kwieci?ski pointed out that “this kind of energy has an important place in the adopted by the Government Strategy for Responsible Development.”

“We want to ensure the self-sufficiency of our country, when it comes to energy (…) We believe that geothermal energy has a great future in our country and there has so far been used – stressed Kwieci?ski.

He recalled in this context that the current level of the share of renewable energy in the energy mix in Poland is 13.7 percent. According to the climate and energy package, our country in 2020. Must reach the level of 15 percent.

Deputy Minister pointed out that geothermal energy to a much greater extent than in Poland is used eg. By our neighbors – the Czechs and Slovaks.

Therefore – so Kwieci?ski – in Poland, we need to invest not only in the wells, but also in the development of the district heating network, which will be able to exploit the potential of geothermal energy.

– We treat geothermal energy as a source of innovation, where Polish business and science will be able to organize a number of projects that find expression in our economy – he noted.

Deputy Minister also pointed out that geothermal energy can be also used in industry leisure time, whether in medicine.

Source: TVN 24Bis