100 MW Solar Project Near Coal Mine In Poland

• Orlen Group's Energa is seeking approvals for a 100 MW solar power plant it plans to build in Wkona commune in Poland
• It is part of 160 MW Energa RES Center to be built by its subsidiary Energa where it has started construction on a 20 MW PV project
• For the 20 MW plant, Orlen said it will deploy close to 40,000 high efficiency solar panels

One among the largest solar power plants in Poland is being planned for Wkona commune in Greater Poland with 100 MW capacity by Polish oil refiner Orlen Group. It is planned to be located next to the Adamow lignite mine as part of the Energa RES Center aimed to have a combined capacity of around 160 MW.

The project and the Energa RES Center are to be built by Energa, part of Orlen Group which is an electricity supplier.

The 100 MW PV Mitra Solar Farm is currently in the planning phase seeking necessary regulatory approvals for the project to be connected to the transmission grid using existing infrastructure of the company's coal fired power plant in the region.

Construction begins on 20 MW PV project site

The Energa RES Center is where the company has already been operating a 31 MW wind farm, and construction on a 20 MW Gryf Solar PV Farm commenced this month itself. The 20 MW project was one of the winners of the Energy Regulatory Office's ordinary auction for projects with over 1 MW capacity concluded in December 2020 as a result of which it will have a fixed power sale price until 2038 (see Poland Selects 1.7 GW Wind & PV In Auction).

For the PV Gryf project, Orlen said it will use about 40,000 'state-of-the-art' high efficiency solar PV panels to ensure optimum use of the reclaimed mining areas of the Adamow mine.

All these projects are part of the Orlen Group's target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

"In the ORLEN2030 strategy we recently presented, we clearly declared that we would invest in renewable energy sources. We already have approximately 450 MW installed in RES, and in the next decade we want to increase our renewable capacity to 2.5 GW," said President of the Management Board of PKN ORLEN, Daniel Obajtek. "This year, we plan to obtain a permit for the construction of one of the largest photovoltaic farms in Poland. This will be another important step in the development of the modern, low-emission energy segment and further diversification of the Group's revenue sources."

Recently, Respect Energy and Goldbeck Solar said they will build the 'largest' solar PV plant in Central and Eastern Europe with 203 MW capacity in Poland (see 203 MW Solar Power Project Coming Up In Poland).