TFE POLAND II: STRATEGIC ENERGY COLLABORATION IN POLAND

This project strengthens strategic collaboration between municipalities and district heating (DH) companies in Poland. It supports three representative cities in developing robust, long-term heat plans that link local development with the green transition. A special focus is on the integration of DH and the electricity system. The facilitated in-depth Danish-Polish discussions help to transfer Danish experience with CHP, largescale heat pumps, electric boilers and heat storage to Poland. The strong networks of the project participants will ensure broad impact and inspire more Polish cities to take ambitious action through long-term strategic planning.

Why this matters: a pivotal moment for Polish district heating

Poland operates one of Europe’s largest district heating sectors and is developing with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainability. This transformation will set the path for carbon emissions and heating prices for decades to come. Strategic planning now will be the key to a successful transition. Yet in many cities, municipal authorities and DH companies do not plan together systematically, which is what this project changes.

Moreover, Poland’s power markets are evolving. If Poland can succeed in connecting the production and storage units in the DH systems with the power markets, it will generate direct value and long-term benefits for both the heating and electricity sectors.

The project will support current and future DH units in Poland to become active in the Polish power markets. If DH production and storage units can participate actively in day-ahead, intraday and ancillary services markets, they can provide flexible capacity, lower system costs, and improve business cases for new low-carbon technologies.

Denmark has already realised these synergies and has extensive know-how, tools, and cases on how to integrate heat and power. Leveraging this experience now can help Polish actors move faster, while also opening a substantial market for Danish technologies and services.

The three focus areas of the project

1. Strengthening strategic collaboration in three Polish cities

At the heart of the project is the facilitation of strategic collaboration between DH utilities and municipalities. Three Polish cities will be selected at project start based on their commitment and how representative they are of wider conditions in Poland. In each city, the project team will facilitate a structured dialogue between the DH company and the municipality, focusing on longterm heat planning, integration of new technologies and links to urban development.

2. Activating DH units in the Polish power markets

The second topic focuses on the integration of DH units into Poland’s power markets. Danish DH systems already operate CHP plants, largescale heat pumps, electric boilers and heat storage in close interaction with power markets, providing flexibility and lowering costs.

The project will collect detailed knowledge on how and why this works in Denmark and present it through clear case descriptions. Based on this knowledge, the project establishes in-depth collaboration between Danish and Polish experts. The project will facilitate discussion on the Polish context, identify barriers and opportunities, and how Polish DH companies can participate in day-ahead, intraday and ancillary services markets.

3. Engagement of the Danish and Polish DH sectors

The last focus ensures that the project facilitates the engagement of a range of collaboration partners in Poland and Denmark. Rather than creating new events, the project connects to existing platforms where key stakeholders already meet. This includes activities such as DI’s Green Energy Export Day and the annual meeting of the Danish District Heating Association (Landsmødet) in Denmark, and the District Heating Spring Symposium in Zakopane in Poland.

In parallel, three online hub meetings will gather Danish export companies, the Trade Council, the Danish Energy Agency and others interested in DH in Poland. Participants will be invited to share their ongoing activities, identify synergies and suggest focus areas. Selected Danish experts may also be involved in nonpublic activities such as city hotline workshops when relevant. Dissemination is supported by DBDH channels, including the website, international and member newsletters, the Hot|Cool magazine and LinkedIn, ensuring that project results reach a broad audience in both countries.

Expected outcomes and impact

• Better strategic heat planning in Polish cities: Municipalities and DH companies in the three case cities develop joint strategic documents and planning processes. These documents provide concrete next steps locally and serve as inspiration and models for many other Polish cities.
• Faster activation of Polish DH units in electricity markets: The project includes a tailor-made process to efficiently transfer know-how from Denmark and adapt it to a Polish implementation, so that Polish DH units can become active in the Polish power markets as soon as possible.
• Stronger Danish–Polish Cooperation: Extensive cooperation among utilities, municipalities, ministries, agencies, think tanks and associations in both countries deepens institutional ties. The project generates analyses and recommendations that support Danish-Polish relationships at both personal and institutional levels.