Anna Kornecka became the head of the hydrogen company in Sanok

• Among the most important tasks facing Anna Kornecka will be leading the decarbonization process in Sanok.
• It will involve implementing a new technology for obtaining energy and heat from renewable energy sources (RES) for the city, which will replace the existing high-emission coal-based solutions.
• The Sanok decarbonization project may become a model for other local governments in Poland that are currently facing a similar challenge.

- Among other things, I am responsible for overseeing the decarbonization process in Sanok, which, especially today, given the uncertainty surrounding the development of onshore wind energy, is a fundamental challenge for the energy transformation of Polish local governments - says Anna Kornecka.

This project involves electrifying the district heating system in Sanok. Based on a feasibility study, the estimated cost is 726 million PLN, which will be financed entirely by private investments, subsidies, and grants.

Stop the drastic increases in the costs of generating thermal energy

This project is intended to replace traditional coal-fired boilers with technologies using renewable energy sources (RES), which will help curb the drastic increases in the costs of heat generation.

Thanks to this, residents will be able to benefit from emission-free and predictable heat, which has been impossible until now due to the fluctuating prices of energy carriers such as coal, gas and biomass.

An important element of the project is the participation of a private investor, thanks to which the investment will be possible without burdening the budget of the municipality, which is (like many other local governments) in a difficult financial situation.

The authors of the idea argue that the innovative nature of the Sanok district heating decarbonization project lies not only in electrifying the generation source itself, but also in securing the costs of the electricity used in this process. This is achieved by building our own renewable energy sources, supported by various forms of energy storage, both thermal and electrical.

Thanks to this, the project will not only eliminate emissions from the city's heating sector but also stabilize heat prices in the long term. The project is expected to significantly reduce the burden on the city budget, which is forced to purchase CO2 emission allowances.

Better information policy and dialogue needed

- Experience to date, i.e. the lack of sufficient knowledge on this subject among councillors, shows that a better information policy about this solution and dialogue with all interested parties, and above all those responsible for decisions in this area at the city level, is needed - points out Anna Kornecka.

To familiarize local government officials – including Sanok councillors – with the practical functioning of the discussed technology, a study visit will be organised to Gaj Oławski in Lower Silesia, where it has been successfully serving one of the region's key companies for several years.

"Having direct contact with a working installation provides a completely different experience than theoretical discussions. During the visit, participants will be able to see firsthand the benefits it brings to the industrial plant operating there. While the renewable energy installation in Gaj Oławski, integrated with an electrolyzer and energy storage, differs from the one planned in Sanok, the basic principle of its operation—the use of the plant's own renewable electricity—remains identical," notes Anna Kornecka.

The visit is scheduled for August 28.