STRATEGIC ENERGY PLANNING IN FOCUS DURING POLISH WORKSHOPS

DBDH and project partners have completed the first round of workshops under the Strategic Energy Collaboration in Poland, TFE project, bringing together municipalities, district heating utilities, and local stakeholders in three Polish cities.

First workshops completed in Poland

In June, DBDH and project partners completed the first round of workshops under the Strategic Energy Collaboration in Poland, the TFE project, financed by the Danish Energy Agency.

The project is coordinated by Lesia Logvynenko fr om DBDH and Lars Gullev from Gullev DH Advisory. As part of the first workshop round, they visited three selected Polish cities: Grudziądz, Jelenia Góra, and Lubin.

Local dialogue on future energy systems

In each city, the programme included workshops bringing together representatives from municipalities, district heating utilities, and key local stakeholders.

Participating district heating utilities included OPEC GRUDZIĄDZ Sp. z o.o., MPEC Termal, and Energetyka Cieplna Opolszczyzny SA.

Through facilitated discussions, participants explored the challenges and opportunities related to the future development of their local energy systems, as well as the role of cooperation in achieving a successful green transition.

Strategic energy planning needs cooperation

One of the key observations from the work in Poland is that strategic energy planning is often carried out separately by different actors.

At the same time, district heating is becoming increasingly integrated with other sectors, including electricity, industry, urban planning, water and wastewater infrastructure, and climate policy.

As a result, close dialogue and cooperation among stakeholders are no longer optional. They are essential for a smooth and effective green transition.

Strengthening municipal-utility collaboration

The workshops therefore focused on strengthening the dialogue between municipalities and district heating utilities.

Participants worked to identify common priorities and explore how local stakeholders can cooperate on long-term, implementable energy plans.

Next steps in the project

The project will now continue with a series of monthly online meetings bringing together representatives from the municipalities and district heating utilities of all three cities.

These meetings will provide a platform for joint discussions on how long-term energy planning can be developed collaboratively, drawing on Danish experiences and supporting knowledge exchange between the participating cities.

Thank you to the participating cities

DBDH and project partners would like to thank the hosts and all participants in Grudziądz, Jelenia Góra, and Lubin for their openness, engagement, and willingness to contribute to the discussions.