Poland is transforming waste into energy thanks to EU’s cohesion policy.

Two investments worth 63 million euro have been approved by the European Commission yesterday, aimed at improving waste management in Poland.

These resources from the Cohesion Fund will be allocated to build a municipal waste treatment plant in Gdańsk. Bythermally neutralising some 160,000 tonnes per year of municipal solid waste, the new plant will generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. The Commission has also approved an investment of almost 40 million euro from the same Fund to build a similar waste-to-energy plant in Olsztyn, in Poland’s Warmińsko-Mazurskie region. This plant too will ensure both effective waste management and meet citizens’ energy needs by transforming municipal solid waste into heat and electricity.

The plant in Olsztyn is expected to be operational as of November 2022. The project in Gdańsk is expected to be operational as of January 2023 and will also include educational and promotional activities for one million local residents about the importance of preventing waste and ensuring that any waste that is created is properly treated. During the 2014-2020 budget period, Poland is receiving over 10 billion euro support from EU Cohesion Policy for environment protection and resource efficiency.