Elektrownia Północ with 2 x 800 MWe capacity in planned to be built in the heart of Pomerania, in Rajkowy, Pelplin municipality. The high-voltage lines and the water main would also be located in Starogard and Subkowy municipalities, respectively. The main objects would take the area of 90 ha while the total area of the project is around 328 ha. The Północ power plant is a complex project which consists of the main objects and several sub-projects.
Elektrownia Północ would be one of the biggest coal-fired power plants in Poland. It would burn approximately 3,7 million tons of coal and produce more than 8 million tons of carbon dioxide a year. The cooling towers will be approx. 160 m high which makes them of the highest buildings in Poland.
Water main – consists of pumping station and two pipes (approx. 8.km long) which would transport water from the Vistula River into the power plant’s cooling system, as well as the sewage water back into the river. Part of the pipeline runs through Natura 2000 sites Lower Vistula and Lower Vistula’s Valley.
High-voltage lines – will transmit energy from the power plant, approx. 6,5 (400 kV line) and 5,7 km (110 kV) long, they will cross valleys of river Wierzyca and Węgiermuca. The total width of the technical belt would be 155 m.
Internal road and railway system joining the power plant with public roads and railways; lighting of the area; drainage system.
Project’s name in Polish: Budowa Elektrowni Północ o mocy 2000 MWe koło miejscowości Rajkowy, gmina Pelplin, powiat tczewski w województwie pomorskim.
Location: Rajkowy, Pelplin municipality, Pomeranian voivodeship.
GPS coordinates: 18°43’E, 53°58’N.
Capacity: 2 x 800 MWe.
Number of units: 2.
Operation time: 35 years or more.
Total area: 328 ha.
Highest building: cooling towers, approx. 160 m.
Resources used
Hard coal: 3,65 million tons/year.
Light fuel oil: year one 6 950 tons, later 3 9500 tons/year (2 units).
Fuel oil: 1 800 tons/year.
By-products of coal combustion
Gypsum: 247 000 tons/year.
Ashes: 687 000 tons/year.
Slags: 78 000 tons/year.
Biocides used: 5 kg/day.
Sodium hypochlorite: 500 kg/day.
CO2 emissions: No data available, no less than 8 million tons a year.
The investor lost the building permit for the second time. Will this mean the end of Elektrownia Północ?
The Elektrownia Północ project consists of several subprojects which require separate decisions and permits. Currently the investor has none of these documents.
A building permit is granted for a project on the basis of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report. The EIA Report for Elektrownia Północ is seriously flawed which disqualifies this document.
Kulczyk Investments – a financial empire build on environmental destruction or a socially-responsible company supporting sustainable solutions?
The French company Alstom, which has been chosen as the main contractor of the Północ power plant, has been involved in numerous energy projects around the world. It is also infamous for numerous scandals, including cases of corruption.