Pólnoc power station
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Pólnoc power station is a cancelled power station in Rajkowy, Gmina Pelplin, Tczew county, Pomorskie, Poland. It is also known as North Power Plant.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Pólnoc power station | Rajkowy, Gmina Pelplin, Tczew county, Pomorskie, Poland | 53.962892, 18.711758 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal: bituminous | 800 | supercritical |
| Unit 2 | cancelled | coal: bituminous | 800 | unknown |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Polenergia SA [100%] | Polenergia SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Polenergia SA [100%] | Polenergia SA [100.0%] |
Background
In December 2011, Polenergia entered into a long-term agreement with Lubelski Węgiel Bogdanka SA for coal supply to Elektrownia Północ.[1] The EIA was approved on July 15, 2011, and was challenged in court by Client Earth Poland and local residents.[2]
The plant was originally planned for the plant to be operational after 2016 at an estimated cost of EUR $3.1 - 3.8 billion.[3]
As of April 2016, the website of Polenergia says the power station would be two units of 800 MW each, planned for commissioning in 2020.[4] However, the plant's building permits were revoked in December 2016, making the 2020 date unlikely, and raising questions about the feasibility of the project.[5] On June 19, 2019, Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court issued the final decision and blocked the project.[6]
Permits
On Feb 14, 2013, a Polish court agreed with local residents and landowners, backed by environmental campaigner ClientEarth, that the regional government had not followed public consultation procedures in awarding a construction permit for the station. The court affirmed partial invalidity of the permit.[7]
In February 2014 Poland’s General Director of Environmental Protection (GDOS) ruled that an investment in the construction of the plant would jeopardize species of fish found in the lower reaches of the Vistula River. The General Director agreed with environmental and nature protection NGOs and affirmed partial invalidity of the coal plant’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) permit.[8]
On December 30, 2015, the Pomeranian Governor fully reversed the decision on the construction permit for the plant and remitted the case to be resolved by the Tczewskie Prefect. The governor found the permit process fraudulently limited public participation and overlooked information submitted by parties other than the investor. Polenergia must begin the permitting process again.[9]
In December 2016 Judges in Gdansk, Poland, upheld the decision by the Pomeranian governor to revoke building permits for the Północ Power Plant, finding the sponsor hindered citizens’ participation in the legal proceedings. Polenergia may decide to appeal.[5]
Polenergia did appeal the decision, triggering a multi-year legal battle. On June 19, 2019, Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court rejected the appeal, effectively blocking the project.[10]
Environmental impacts
According to a 2011 Bankwatch report: "the Północ power plant is planned within five kilometres of three Nature 2000 sites. These are two Habitat Directive Sites: “Wacmierz” (PLH 220031) and Lower Vistula Valley (PLH220033) and a Bird Directive Site Lower Vistula Valley (PLB 040003). The impact on Wacmierz Habitat Directive Site has not been addressed at all in the recently concluded EIA procedure and both the construction permit, Greenhouse Gases permit and IPPC permit are being challenged by environmental NGO Client Earth in court."[11]
Annual CO2 emissions from the proposed Północ power plant are estimated to be over 13 million tonnes.[11]
Financing
This project is not yet fully funded. Polenergia has sought funding from the following multilateral development banks:[12][13]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Energy: Elektrownia Północ Sp. z o.o.," Kulczyk Investments website, accessed Oct. 2012.
- ↑ "Update," Pólnoc coal power plant Poland, Bankwatch, accessed Jan 2016
- ↑ "Pólnoc coal power plant," Bankwatch, accessed Oct. 2012.
- ↑ "Północ Power Plant," Polenergia, accessed Apr 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Climate victory: ClientEarth blocks Europe’s largest new coal power plant," ClientEarth, 6 December 2016
- ↑ "Major coal plant dead in the water after Supreme Court ruling in Poland," Client Earth, June 19, 2019
- ↑ Agnieszka Barteczko, "Polish green campaigners in court win over coal plant," Reuters, Feb 14, 2013
- ↑ Diarmaid Williams, "Another setback for giant Polish coal-fired power plant," Power Engineering, Feb 6, 2014
- ↑ "Sukces społeczeństwa obywatelskiego na Pomorzu. Elektrownia Północ już po raz drugi nie otrzymuje zgody na budowę," Stop EP, Jan 7, 2016
- ↑ "Major coal plant dead in the water after Supreme Court ruling in Poland," Client Earth, June 19, 2019
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "A plan for the biggest greenfield coal project in Europe," Bankwatch Briefing, August 2011.
- ↑ "Pólnoc coal power plant: Finance," Bankwatch, accessed Oct. 2012 and Aug. 2015
- ↑ "No financing for Elektrownia Północ," Stop EP, 2014-03-08
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
