Renewable power is generated in the PGE Capital Group at the conventional power plants, which are to adapt their units to biomass cofiring, but also at the hydropower plants and at wind farms. The majority of the projects related to the development of power generation from renewable sources are conducted in the Group by PGE Energia Odnawialna S.A.
The total volume of power generated from renewables in 2008 reached nearly 0.5 TWh. By the year 2012, we intend to invest nearly PLN 9 bn in the construction of renewable power generation capacities.
Hydropower plants
At present, there are 36 hydropower plants operating within the PGE Capital Group. These are pumped storage hydropower plants (including the biggest hydropower plant in Poland of this type – Żarnowiec Power Plant), pumped storage hydropower plants with natural inflow and run-off river power plants. The total net power output in the PGE Capital Group hydropower plants in 2008 reached over 1 TWh.
Wind Farms
The PGE Capital Group has also the Kamieńsk Wind Farm of a total capacity of 30 MW, which started power production in December 2007. The wind farm is situated in Central Poland. It was built on the hilltop of a rehabilitated external spoil heap of the PGE Bełchatów Lignite Mine. It consists of 15 wind turbines and its annual electricity output in 2008 exceeded 75 GWh. By 2020, the PGE Capital Group plans to commission land and sea wind farms.
Biomass cofiring
Biomass, meaning forestry waste, cultivated plant matter from energy farms, briquettes and others, has for many years been utilised in industry as renewable fuel. In the PGE Capital Group, biomass comes under the scope of cofiring with coal. Facilities for cofiring biomass with coal are installed at PGE ZEDO (at the Dolna Odra Power Plant and the Szczecin Combined Heat and Power Plant), at the Opole Power Plant, Kielce Combined Heat and Power Plant, Boruta Combined Heat and Power Plant and, from June 2009, similarly at the Turów Power Plant. In 2008, PGE produced a total 0,4 TWh of green energy from biomass.