Qemetica Soda Polska invests in green energy - nearly PLN 100 million in support from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management for the conversion of a coal-fired boiler to a biomass one in Inowrocław

Qemetica Soda Polska, a company belonging to the Qemetica Group, has secured funding from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management for a project involving the conversion of an existing coal-fired boiler to a 100 per cent biomass-fired boiler at its Inowrocław plant. The NFOŚiGW support of nearly PLN 100 million (appr. 23 mEuro) represents the highest subsidy in Qemetika's history. The conversion of the coal-fired boiler to a biomass-fired boiler is one of the main elements of the company's strategy in the area of energy transformation and will allow the reduction of coal consumption by approximately 100,000 tonnes per year at the Inowrocław plant.

Qemetica Soda Polska invests in green energy - nearly PLN 100 million in support from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management for the conversion of a coal-fired boiler to a biomass one in Inowrocław
The scope of the investment includes, among other things, the conversion of the existing coal-fired boiler to a biomass-fired boiler together with the construction of a biomass fuel management system. The conclusion of a funding agreement will allow the Spólka to optimise the method of financing the project.

Qemetica Soda Polska plans to upgrade a coal-fired boiler at its Inowrocław plant to enable energy generation from biomass combustion, which will contribute to reducing coal consumption, in line with the Group's ambitious ESG targets. The upgrade is one of a number of projects as part of the energy transformation of Qemetika's most energy-intensive yet key business area - soda production. A tender is currently underway to select a contractor for the investment, which is expected to be ready in 2027.

The reconstruction of the boiler will allow the replacement of approximately 100,000 tonnes of hard coal per year with biomass fuel and will enable a CO2 reduction of approximately 200,000 tonnes per year. The Inowrocław-based company obtained funding for the project from the Modernisation Fund under priority programme no. 4.9 ‘Zero-emission energy system. Cogeneration for Energy and Industry'.

- The introduction of biomass into the energy mix is one of the projects aimed at reducing our Company's coal consumption and its environmental impact. It is also an opportunity to develop and implement modern technologies. In preparation for the investment, we have made a study of the availability of biomass - we want to use mainly woodchips in the combustion process. It is an ecological fuel with low ash content which does not emit offensive odours,’ says Tomasz Molenda, CEO of Qemetica Soda Polska.

The investment will include the creation of a comprehensive infrastructure, including nodes for unloading, separation, storage and transport of biomass. Unloading will be possible for both road and rail transport, which will provide logistical flexibility while reducing emissions from road transport.

The biomass storage system will be equipped with silos with enough capacity for a five-day supply of fuel. Biomass will be transported to the boiler using modern feeders and the entire installation will be protected against noise, dust emissions and fire hazards.

The conversion of the boiler to biomass is an important step towards decarbonising Qemetica's operations. As part of its strategy, Qemetica plans to reduce the soda industry's CO2 emissions by 45 per cent by 2029 (compared to 2019) and to completely eliminate coal combustion at its plants by 2033.