Poland to begin using sewage water to cool power plants

Poland is set to start utilizing reclaimed sewage water for cooling power plants starting next year. This move aims to decrease the use of fresh water and enhance the power system's resilience against frequent droughts. The decision comes after some Polish power plants were partially halted during a series of heatwaves and prolonged droughts that led to record-low river levels.

The change will allow power plants and combined heat and power plants to use sewage water in their cooling systems from January 1, 2027. The legislation was proposed by MPs from the Left (Lewica) and the centre-right Polish People's Party (PSL) and approved by parliament in July, with President Karol Nawrocki signing it into law last week.

Water recovered from municipal sewage will now be defined, enabling its use in power station and combined heat and power plant cooling circuits. Orlen Termika, a subsidiary of state energy giant Orlen, plans to invest over 1 billion zlotys (€230 million) in the next four years to maximize the benefits of this change by connecting sewage treatment plants to three of its power and heat plants around Warsaw. Some plants will save up to 80% of previous water use, while others could save up to 20%.

The company also intends to install heat pumps to extract heat from sewage, which can be used to supply heat to Warsaw residents before the water is used to cool down the plants. Sewage is relatively warm, typically between 10°C and 20°C, making it an excellent source of recoverable heat.

Poland's power grid operator has invoked emergency measures to ensure supply three times this summer due to a heatwave and low river levels. This is the third time in three days and the third time this summer since such powers were introduced, with previous instances occurring twice in the eight years since their introduction.