PGE Energia Ciepła CHP Plant in Rzeszów is actively participating in implementation of the PGE Group’s strategy.
The Rzeszow CHP plant is implementing investment plans to move away from coal use in its generating units. Generating heat from 70% low- and zero-emission fuels by 2030 is a strategic goal of the PGE Group.
Two major investments, very important for the city and the region, are currently underway. Final work is underway on the construction of a low-carbon, reserve-peak gas boiler plant, which will soon be put into operation. The Thermal Processing with Energy Recovery Installation (ITPOE Rzeszow) is also being expanded with a second process line.
The ITPOE, once completed, will be able to process a total of up to 180,000 tons of municipal waste per year, from which electricity and heat are generated in cogeneration, most of which goes to the city’s district heating network. Outside the heating season, the heat recovered from the thermal processing of waste at the ITPOE is sufficient to meet the needs of the residents of the city of Rzeszow for domestic hot water.
The construction of a reserve-peak gas boiler plant with a total capacity of 186 MWt is also well advanced. This boiler plant is equipped with six water boilers that will ensure high efficiency in converting the energy contained in the gas fuel into heat, with high reliability and availability, which will guarantee the production of heat in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner.
“At the combined heat and power plant in Rzeszow, we are implementing our investment plans step-by-step. Generating electricity and heat from waste improves the efficiency of the local waste management system and fits perfectly into the closed-loop economy. Meanwhile, the decommissioning of two coal-fired water boilers and their replacement with low-emission gas-fired water boilers will guarantee the production of heat in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Heat generated from a pro-environmental source will flow to the residents of Rzeszow, which will improve environmental conditions in the city,” says Tadeusz Kępski, director of PGE Energia Ciepła Oddział Elektrociepłownia in Rzeszów.
At the end of last year, the installation of a steam boiler pressure section, weighing 340 tons, was completed at the ITPOE site. The expansion of ITPOE is a major ecological investment that will help protect the environment. The current capacity of the first line is about 100,000 tons of waste per year. The capacity of the second process line will be about 80,000 tons of waste per year. The expanded ITPOE plant will continue to process municipal waste and generate electricity and heat from it for Rzeszow residents connected to the city’s district heating system. The functioning installation contributes to a significant improvement in environmental conditions by reducing landfilling of municipal waste in favor of its ongoing processing for energy purposes and reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned in the heat generation process.
