Responsible approach to water resources management

PGE is aware of the need to respect limited water resources. In its operations, it uses water responsibly for the entire ecosystem, monitors its use and implements solutions to improve the standards
of its use in its processes.

Processes related to water and wastewater management in PGE Group installations are carried out mainly on the basis of the Water Law Act and other executive acts dedicated to water and wastewater management. These processes are carried out in accordance with the provisions of administrative decisions, such as integrated permits or sectoral decisions (water permits), issued by the competent authorities. The PGE Group carries out monitoring of the quantity and quality of water abstracted and wastewater discharged.

For technological needs of installations within the PGE Group, water from surface water intakes is mainly used after undergoing purification processes.

In order to reduce raw water consumption, closed circuits are used and used process water and wastewater are introduced into other processes. Wastewater generated by production operations undergoes treatment, including multi-stage treatment, and is then discharged to surface waters or transferred to municipal enterprises.

Water management in power plants

Adaptation to the requirements of the conclusions in PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna means also the reduction of emissions to water from flue gas purification systems utilised in the process of electricity generation. In this respect, wastewater treatment plants undergo modernisation and extension processes.

Due to its location, the Turów Power Plant is in an area with higher than average
rainfall.

Some of the precipitation falling in the foothills of the Izera Mountains is naturally retained in the Witka reservoir located on the Witka River, which is the primary source of water for the Turów Power Plant.

As the water in the Witka reservoir is largely derived from rainfall, it can be concluded that rainwater is used for technological processes at the Turów Power Plant. The Turów Power Plant uses only surface water for its operations and does not abstract groundwater.

The Turów Power Plant closes water circulation in production processes by diverting used water for treatment and subsequently returning it to production processes. All wastewater from the power plant site is treated at the following facilities:

the industrial wastewater treatment plant,
the treatment plant for wastewater from the desulphurisation plant at unit 7,
the preliminary treatment plant for wastewater from the desulphurisation plant at units 4-6,
the ash sedimentation tanks,
the sanitary sewage treatment plant.

The expansion of the industrial wastewater treatment plant at the Turów Power Plant began in 2021. Treated wastewater from the Turów Power Plant is discharged into the Miedzianka River. The effluent discharged into the river must not cause deterioration of its condition and, therefore, the effluent parameters must correspond to the water quality for the mountain stream class. The implemented project will ensure that the environmental objectives are met, thereby ensuring the Turów Power Plant’s compliance with EU and national environmental requirements. The industrial wastewater treatment plant will be based on modern, high-performance membrane technologies of microfiltration and reverse osmosis. The efficiency of reverse osmosis is approximately 96-98 percent, which means that over 96 percent of all pollutants will be retained in the process. The first in Poland and one of few in the European Union, it will be a particularly extensive application of the aforementioned technologies in the field of wastewater treatment. Thanks to this project, the Turów Power Plant will be the first power utility to reuse treated wastewater in its technological systems. The implementation of this investment will have a positive impact on the border Lusatian Neisse River.

In the Opole Power Plant, industrial wastewater and rainwater are directed to the final mechanical-chemical wastewater treatment plant, where they undergo the coagulation process.

Wastewater from households is treated using the activated sludge method in a biological system also located at the final wastewater treatment plant. Treated industrial and domestic wastewater is discharged through a common carrier pipe to the Oder River.

In 2023, 8,132,742 m³of treated wastewater was discharged into the Oder River at the final treatment plant and the quality of wastewater met the conditions of the integrated permit. The preliminary chemical treatment process comprised 340,966 m³of wastewater generated at the flue gas desulphurisation plant and 9,071 m³of wastewater coming from the water demineralisation process.

The Dolna Odra Power Plant has an open cooling system and is equipped with facilities to reduce pollutants contained in wastewater.

Depending on the type of wastewater, it is treated in a chemical, biological or mechanical treatment plant or neutralised in neutralisers.

Depending on the composition of wastewater, it is treated at one or two facilities. Rainwater and snowmelt from the power plant site are treated by means of settling tanks and separators.

In 2023, the Dolna Odra Power Plant treated 4,788,421 m³of wastewater generated in its processes.

The power plant does not have a treatment plant. In order to reduce water consumption and the volume of wastewater discharge, water used in the Bełchatów Power Plant is reused in closed internal circuits and is not discharged outside
the system.

Used process water is reused in slagging operations and to replenish losses in the hydro ash removal system.

Domestic wastewater and rainwater or snowmelt are transported to the wastewater treatment plant of the Bełchatów Lignite Mine.

An amendment to the integrated permit for the use of mine water for process purposes was obtained in 2023. This will reduce salinity and siltation in the watercourse into which mine water is discharged and decrease the amount of fees for surface water abstraction.

At the Rybnik Power Plant branch, mainly surface water is abstracted for technological purposes.

Groundwater is used to a small extent to supplement the boiler system. After treatment at the Stodoły treatment plant, this water is used for domestic and fire-fighting purposes of the power plant or sold to the municipal water management entity in Rybnik and enterprises operating in the vicinity of the power plant.

Surface water from the Rybnik reservoir feeds the open cooling system for two units operating at a limit of 1,500 hours per year (until the end of 2023) and is used to supplement the water level in the closed cooling system for the remaining four units. Furthermore, surface water from the Rybnik reservoir is used for technological purposes after appropriate preparation. All industrial effluent, together with contaminated rainwater or snowmelt from the power plant site, is treated in the industrial wastewater and rainwater treatment plant operating together with the facility treating wastewater generated by the flue gas desulphurisation plant.

Wastewater from the treatment plant is discharged via two outlets:

into the Ruda River behind the main dam of the Rybnik reservoir,
into the Rybnik reservoir.

The organisation of the treatment plant allows for the wastewater stream containing effluent from the wet flue gas desulphurisation plant to be separated and discharged exclusively into the Ruda River.

Desalinated water from the cooling towers, together with rainwater or snowmelt from unpolluted areas, is discharged into the Rybnik reservoir.

The Rybnik Power Plant monitors the quantity of abstracted water as well as the quantity and quality of generated wastewater. In 2023, no volumes were exceeded in this respect in relation to the limits set out in the applicable water permits.

Water management in the lignite mining process

The extraction of lignite deposit based on the opencast method, carried out in the Bełchatów and Turów lignite mines, requires prior drainage of the rock mass, which has a significant impact on hydrogeological conditions and results in changes in hydrodynamic relations. Water management in lignite mines is connected with both sunk drainage and face drainage of open pits. Water from pits is discharged to field settling ponds for final purification by natural sedimentation of suspended solids supported by a plant filter or to dedicated treatment plants. Each of the opencast lignite mines operated by PGE conducts planned water protection activities. Drainage facilities used to ensure water purity are being expanded and modernised.

Bełchatów Lignite Mine

The Bełchatow Lignite Mine has been carrying out planned and rational water protection activities since the beginning of the operation of the the rock mass drainage system.

The drainage of the rock mass is carried out with the aim of creating a depression that ensures the safe exploitation of the deposit by means of the opencast method. The drainage system of the Bełchatów Lignite Mine captures both groundwater and surface water in order to drain the rock mass to a degree that allows the safe extraction of lignite from the Szczerców Field and Bełchatów Field.

In order to counteract the negative environmental impact, the mine is involved in the following projects aimed at reducing the impact of the deposit drainage operations on the surroundings:

the use of a deep drainage system based on large diameter deep wells, which makes it possible to lower the groundwater table while maintaining the safety of the mining operations and limiting the amount of water pumped,
the use of selective abstraction and discharge of pumped water in the pit to reduce the amount of dirty water requiring treatment,
the use of a multi-stage treatment system for water discharged from the pit drainage operations,
the maintenance of a proper hydrodynamic system in the area of the “Dębina” salt diapir in order to protect its structure,
extensive monitoring of the impact of the mining operations on the environment, allowing observation of early possible symptoms of deterioration in the condition of a selected environmental element and providing the opportunity to take appropriate preventive measures.

Water from sunk drainage is discharged through a system of ditches and canals in quantities and with physical and chemical parameters that do not exceed the statutory limits specified in the applicable water law decision. Water discharged to surface watercourses maintains at least class II purity.

In order to protect the water purity of the region’s existing natural watercourses, the problem of wastewater management was solved by the mine’s construction of the following treatment plants:

the central mechanical and biological wastewater treatment plant in Rogowiec. It treats domestic as well as rain and industrial wastewater. The plant provides wastewater treatment services for external entities,
the Chabielice mechanical and biological wastewater treatment plant. It treats domestic wastewater from the facilities of the Szczerców branch and provides wastewater treatment services for the Szczerców community.

As part of the surface drainage of the heap, the main part of the rainwater goes to the retention and sedimentation fields at the foot of the dump. In order to capture some of such water, small reservoirs are built on the plateaus. These reservoirs form part of the surface drainage of the dump. The water collected in them is used to protect the dump from water erosion (collecting water from drainage ditches) and acts as watering places for wildlife in the emerging new forest ecosystem of the rehabilitated dumps. Two such reservoirs have been built on the internal dump of the Bełchatów Field and the external dump of the Szczerców Field. Such reservoirs have also been built on the rehabilitated external heap of the Bełchatów Field (Kamieńsk Mountain) and handed over to the Bełchatów Forest Directorate.

In 2023, the Turów Lignite Mine Branch discharged mine water coming from face drainage of the pit, as well as well water and domestic wastewater into external watercourses.

The quality of well water allows its direct discharge into external watercourses. Mine water and domestic wastewater were treated at five on-site wastewater treatment plants.

The mine water treatment plants are equipped with the Actiflo system based on a highly efficient suspended solids reduction process. The parameters in terms of quantity and quality of discharged wastewater are determined by the requirements specified in the applicable water permits. The quality and quantity of discharged water and wastewater are monitored on an ongoing basis.

Water in heat generation and distribution

One of the elements of PGE Energia Ciepła’s management strategy is to optimise the consumption of raw materials, in particular water, and to reuse, as far as possible, the by-products of the main production process as well as precious elements.

In PGE Energia Ciepła, both surface and – to a smaller extent – undergroundwater is used for technological purposes. The Szczecin CHP Plant uses internal sea water for its technological purposes. All active groundwater intakes are surrounded by direct water protection zones. Several plants also use water from municipal water supply systems. Depending on the size of the plant, the source and composition of raw water, different water preparation techniques are used, such as lime softening, filtration, ion exchange, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and electrodionisation. In each case, the complete water preparation sequence consists of a combination of several of the above techniques.

Depending on technological requirements, water is supplied to reception points after various stages of preparation. At each stage of water preparation, particular attention is paid to its reasonable use. Many wastewater streams generated in the course of water preparation are returned to the process for reuse. An example of this is reuse of filter washings, water recovered from post-softening sludge, concentrates from reverse osmosis or electrodialysis processes, or regenerated brine from the softening process. As far as its composition allows it, wastewater generated in other installations is also returned to the process.

Examples of this include the following:

returning so-called hot wastewater as a source for the water preparation process,
using frequently rainwater or drainage water for water production,
returning treated wastewater coming from the desulphurisation process to the desulphurisation process if its composition meets the required criteria, which directly depends on the quality of combusted coal,
using part of domestic wastewater after treatment as a source of water to replenish losses in the closed circuit,
ongoing works on the cooling system at the Kraków CHP Plant to use treated wastewater from the municipal treatment plant as a source of process water,
using wastewater as a source of water for process water systems or for replenishing water in ash and slag removal systems.

In order to adjust the wet flue gas desulphurisation plants functioning in Cracow, Wrocław, Gdańsk and Gdynia, a number of measures have been planned to increase the efficiency of the wastewater treatment process accompanying this desulphurisation method. The existing flue gas desulphurisation plants are equipped with highly efficient wastewater treatment systems. However, due to the requirements related to the reviewed conclusions, their operation will be further optimised. The CHP plants operated by PGE Energia Ciepła S.A. (Wrocław, Gdańsk, Krakow) are actively involved in work on the dosing of the modern Nalmet preparation, which, together with modernisation operations, will optimise the functioning of the treatment plants at individual locations.

Innovative INNUPS technology at PGE Energia Ciepła

Among the more stringent requirements of the conclusions concerning nitrogen and sulphur oxides removal, requirements were introduced concerning the parameters of wastewater from wet flue gas desulphurisation plants. The most important parameters include concentrations of metals and metalloids in wastewater. A number of projects were carried out as part of the programme to comply with the conclusions.

In the field of water and wastewater management, a project derived from an R&D project involving the capture of heavy metals using the INNUPS technology was
implemented

The INNUPS wastewater treatment facility was commissioned at the Gdynia CHP plant in 2021. Thanks to the new technology, wastewater is treated to a much higher degree than required by current EU regulations. Furthermore, the facility enables the recovery of marketable metals, such as rare earths and precious metals. It is an example of the widest possible reuse of produced anthropogenic minerals and precious elements, in line with the principles of a applicable in the PGE Group. In 2022, the effectiveness of this method was confirmed.

Renewable Power Generation

PGE Energia Odnawialna maintains quantitative records of groundwater and surface water abstraction and carries out tests and analyses of discharged wastewater for compliance with the requirements of water permits. The individual sites have wastewater treatment plants where operational maintenance of separators is carried out by specialised companies and, as required, cleaning, collection and disposal of waste is carried out, and adsorption filters are replaced. Preventive measures are taken to avoid the risk of harmful substances entering the environment in the form of contamination of water bodies with grease or oil from leaks from oil systems due to failure of hydropower equipment. They consist in continuous monitoring of the operation of the equipment by the power plant staff, regular maintenance, repair and modernisation work. Domestic wastewater is discharged in accordance with contracts to municipal wastewater treatment plants.

Distribution

PGE Dystrybucja is aware of limited water resources and spares no effort to use them in a sustainable manner.

In its operations, the company uses water responsibly for the benefit of the entire ecosystem.

Its activities related to water and wastewater management, including monitoring with regard to the quantity and quality of water abstracted and wastewater discharged, are carried out in accordance with the provisions of administrative decisions, in particular water permits issued by competent authorities. In 2023, there were no cases of breaching the conditions specified in water permits issued for the purpose of discharging wastewater into the ground or surface waters and no penalties were imposed by inspection bodies authorised to do so.

Railway Power Engineering

External entities (on the basis of a contract with a water supplier)

Their own groundwater intakes

Water tanks

Each year, investment plans are used to determine locations to be connected to a water supply system, to build water tanks or to continue the use of an on-site water intake requiring a water permit and a well attestation process. In 2023, water abstraction permits were obtained for six on-site water intakes. In addition, on the basis of information on facilities where well water abstraction had been terminated (e.g. connection to a water supply system or installation of a water tank), formal and legal procedures relating to the closure of 30 wells were conducted.

For all locations for which water abstraction permits have been issued, quarterly statements are submitted to the State Water Management Enterprise as well as semi-annual and annual reports are submitted to the Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection and the State Water Management Enterprise.

The company also carries out tests of groundwater on the basis of the valid water permits.

PGE Group’s participation in the CDP international survey: water

In 2023, the PGE Group took part in the voluntary CDP survey for the third time, consolidating its C-level position in the area of water management.

The assessment methodology boils down to a nine-point alphabetical scale, starting with “A” and ending with “F”, which, within 11 groups of criteria, shows an enterprise’s level of environmental awareness and the degree to which necessary measures have been implemented in management processes.

Participation in the CDP survey contributed to the implementation of an in-depth analysis of water consumption at PGE’s individual locations and provides a framework for further systematisation of the Group’s activities in the area of water conservation.

Risks associated with water and wastewater management

On the basis of its direct activities, the PGE Group identifies issues related to water and wastewater risks as part of the environmental risks assessed in the Group. Factors associated with the aforementioned risks are identified and assessed, together with the identification of mitigating measures. The organisation determines their impact based on years of experience, expertise and current market conditions.

The most important risk factors include the following:

risks associated with the occurrence of drought and flooding,
water stress in the form of water shortage,
incidents involving pollution or the discharge of dammed water,
regulatory risks related to water quality and discharge volumes, higher water prices, declining water quality, regulatory uncertainty and tighter regulatory standards.

The most significant mitigating measures and tools implemented in the PGE Group to manage these risks are the following:

developing emergency plans for floods,
introducing changes into the business continuity plan,
monitoring laws and regulations and actively participating in the fulfilment of the required obligations,
implementing measures preventing the occurrence of breakdowns by power plant maintenance staff continuously monitoring the operation of equipment and adhering to instructions included in equipment operating manuals.

Tools

Next page

Previous page

Responsible approach to water resources management

Water management in power plants

Due to its location, the Turów Power Plant is in an area with higher than average
rainfall.

In the Opole Power Plant, industrial wastewater and rainwater are directed to the final mechanical-chemical wastewater treatment plant, where they undergo the coagulation process.

The Dolna Odra Power Plant has an open cooling system and is equipped with facilities to reduce pollutants contained in wastewater.

The power plant does not have a treatment plant. In order to reduce water consumption and the volume of wastewater discharge, water used in the Bełchatów Power Plant is reused in closed internal circuits and is not discharged outside
the system.

At the Rybnik Power Plant branch, mainly surface water is abstracted for technological purposes.

Water management in the lignite mining process

Bełchatów Lignite Mine

In order to counteract the negative environmental impact, the mine is involved in the following projects aimed at reducing the impact of the deposit drainage operations on the surroundings:

In order to protect the water purity of the region’s existing natural watercourses, the problem of wastewater management was solved by the mine’s construction of the following treatment plants:

In 2023, the Turów Lignite Mine Branch discharged mine water coming from face drainage of the pit, as well as well water and domestic wastewater into external watercourses.

Water in heat generation and distribution

Examples of this include the following:

Innovative INNUPS technology at PGE Energia Ciepła

In the field of water and wastewater management, a project derived from an R&D project involving the capture of heavy metals using the INNUPS technology was
implemented

Renewable Power Generation

PGE Dystrybucja is aware of limited water resources and spares no effort to use them in a sustainable manner.

PGE Group’s participation in the CDP international survey: water

In 2023, the PGE Group took part in the voluntary CDP survey for the third time, consolidating its C-level position in the area of water management.

Risks associated with water and wastewater management

The most significant mitigating measures and tools implemented in the PGE Group to manage these risks are the following:

Tools

Next page

Previous page

Responsible approach to water resources management

Water management in power plants

Turów Power Plant

Opole Power Plant

Dolna Odra Power Plant

Bełchatów Power Plant

Rybnik Power Plant

Water management in the lignite mining process

Bełchatów Lignite Mine

In order to counteract the negative environmental impact, the mine is involved in the following projects aimed at reducing the impact of the deposit drainage operations on the surroundings:

In order to protect the water purity of the region’s existing natural watercourses, the problem of wastewater management was solved by the mine’s construction of the following treatment plants:

Turów Lignite Mine

Water in heat generation and distribution

Examples of this include the following:

Innovative INNUPS technology at PGE Energia Ciepła

In the field of water and wastewater management, a project derived from an R&D project involving the capture of heavy metals using the INNUPS technology wasimplemented

Renewable Power Generation

PGE Dystrybucja is aware of limited water resources and spares no effort to use them in a sustainable manner.

PGE Group’s participation in the CDP international survey: water

In 2023, the PGE Group took part in the voluntary CDP survey for the third time, consolidating its C-level position in the area of water management.

Risks associated with water and wastewater management

The most significant mitigating measures and tools implemented in the PGE Group to manage these risks are the following:

In the field of water and wastewater management, a project derived from an R&D project involving the capture of heavy metals using the INNUPS technology was
implemented