Knowledge Exchange Forum: Focus Poland

Polish district heating (DH) grids supply about 15 million consumers and are currently heavily reliant on fossil fuels, with around 80% of their primary energy input coming predominantly from coal. The decarbonisation of Poland’s DH grids can be accelerated through electrification and the integration of heat pumps which would enable systems to have higher share of waste heat into their energy mix. However, national policy frameworks and high electricity prices continue to pose significant barriers to the large‑scale implementation of these solutions. 

Against this backdrop of high fossil fuel dependency, policy constraints, and market barriers, the HeatMineDH project seeks to analyse and demonstrate how innovative system design, electrification strategies, and the integration of locally available waste heat can enable a cost-effective and scalable transition of Polish district heating into sustainable and resilient systems. 

To learn more about the project results and discuss possible ways forward, you are kindly welcome to join us on Tuesday February 24 at 10:00 CET for a dedicated knowledge exchange forum (KEF) during which we will take a closer look at these challenges and explore the solutions developed within the HeatMineDH project for the case studies regarding the district heating networks of Barlinek and Szczecin, with Zgierz as a follower city. 

To get the discussion started, we will hear from: 

• Lilli Wolny, Manager for Funding and Innovation at  SEC Szczecińska Energetyka Cieplna energy company, will introduce the Barlinek and Szczecin network.
• Anna Lackner and Ralf-Roman Schmidt , Researchers at AIT Austrian Institute of Technology will present  “Possible decarbonization pathways and the assessment of economic risks for the Barlinek case”.   
• Marco Cozzini, Senior Researcher at EURAC Research will present the results from their analysis of the Szczecin case. 

To get a better idea of the most relevant lessons to be learned, we will also hear from Damian Greba, Research Project Manager at PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, representing the follower city Zgierz, who will share their perspectives on the potential replication of the HeatMineDH solutions in their district heating system. 

About the HeatMineDH project 

Co-funded by the EU Commission through the LIFE programme, HeatMineDH aims to develop business cases and investment plans for the incorporation of low-grade heat sources into high temperature district heating networks. To do so, it addresses the need for increased sustainability and resilience in district heating (DH) by focusing on breaking existing barriers hindering the adoption of low-grade heat sources. The project aims to provide investment plans to 8 DH case studies, emphasizing the integration of low grade (or low temperature) waste heat (or residual heat) and renewable sources.