Northern Kashubia, Choczewo commune. The panorama from behind the windows of the bus confirms the truth of the local government motto “Naturally Beautiful Commune” – we go through the land of lush green forests, mild hills and idyllic meadows, and a few kilometers ahead of us are the waves of the Baltic Sea. Energy is gaining more and more significant significance in the area that, apart from the idyllic landscape in the area of the fields, there are many more.
The seaside area is a lively illustration of the thesis Moving the systemic center of gravity from the coal center and south to the north of Polandwhere new zero -emission sources grow. Production units, however, are not everything-with them a proper infrastructure integrating the powers of sea wind farms must be created, and in the future the first nuclear power plant in the Lubiatowo-Kopalino location. In the first case, the work clearly heads to the end, which, after passing the capital of the commune, is to find out right next to the small settlement of Osieka Lęborskie.
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“One of the largest stations in the system”
The thing happens here. The construction of the Choczewo power station, which is implemented by a consortium of Spie Energy Poland and Elfeko SA for Polish power networks, lasts from April 2023 and according to the schedule will end in December next year. Earlier, because at the end of 2025, occupying a 25 ha, the object is to be ready to give tension.
The PSE station in Choczew will receive electricity from wind farms. The attached power will be 5 GW – as much as the brown coal power plant in Bełchatów has today
Contractors have already managed to install the foundations, and earlier after archaeological research, the area of the area was to be reduced, steel support constructions and over 600 resolution of the equipment units were installed. A connection to the local Energa network was also built, which supplies its own construction needs. Technological buildings and guardhouse are ready. The list of things to be done is still dehydration of the area and the construction of a retention reservoir with a capacity of almost 6,000. six meters, assembly of the remaining dashboard, control cable layout or internal road construction.
The station will work at the highest level of 400 kV, and its whole will include above 250 km of cablesabove 2000 foundationsover 1300 support insulators and over 1,100 tons of steel structures. Bypassing the whole requires a half -hour walk; The fence stretches for two kilometers.
On the other side of the fences, its own stations, which will bring energy from the sea (cables previously dug under the dunes and the seabed) and then transfer it to the giant built by PSE, are erected by the owners of future farms – PGE Baltica from Orsted and Orlen Neptune and Northland Power. The contract is also signed from the Ocean Winds. They are to be joined by further projects for which the transmission system operator retains the so -called reserve fields.
The constructions visible in the foreground are so -called Goals that will connect the PSE station with the stations of the owners of marine wind farms
– Suriously, but also in terms of the number of fields with a voltage of 400 kV, is one of the largest stations in the national power system. The switchgear system is quite complicated, but it will allow us to flexibly manage the power output from the farms deep into the system without any interference – by showing the construction site, says Sebastian Dudziński, construction manager of the construction project from PSE.
As much power as in Bełchatów
At the same time, he reaches for a meaningful comparison that makes the scale of the undertaking. About 5 GW of power will be attached to the station. – This is more or less as much as the largest conventional thermal power plant in Bełchatów today counts – says Dudziński. In 2023, production from Bełchatów covered over 13.1 percent. domestic electricity consumption.
The powers adopted at the station will continue to lead through four lines with a total length of 250 km. According to PSE, by the end of 2028, the current will flow through each of them. At first glance, the line connecting the Choczewo station with the Żarnowiec station, which is to be ready in August 2026 and ultimately accepts the powers from the Orlenhland Baltic Power farm. Its length will be 19.9 km. In the commune of Choczewo itself, the lines will count 39.5 km together.
Construction of the station will use 250 km of cables
There are more implemented or planned investments in the development of transmission networks in Pomerania; The operator informs about eleven strategic projects, which also include future infrastructure for a nuclear power plant.
– A large energy has come to Pomerania and the Choczewo commune – sums up Beata Nasiadka, an expert for social communication around PSE projects. According to her stories, the investor's contact with the inhabitants of the region was and is probably An equally important part of the whole process as engineering and construction works themselves.
Will the value of the property fall? Fears of the inhabitants
– at the decision level, from the legislator, through the voivode, to local government officials, everyone knows that these investments are needed here; However, it is very difficult to explain to people, and they – even more difficult to accept – reports Nasiadka. “Naturally Beautiful Commune” is still getting used to the news about interference in its idyllic landscape and peace of the environment, which will be made by the appearance of “hard” power infrastructure.
The impact of four lines running out of the station will be wider. They will run through 22 Pomeranian municipalities, passing through about 1000 plots of private owners. It all aroused and the resistance that the investor had to face.
In public consultations, from May to December 2021, PSE organized 50 meetings with residents and 72 meetings with local government authorities. About 500 people appeared on them, and 400 comments were submitted to the designed routes of the line. What are they about? The fears expressed in them concerned, among others a decrease in the values of buildings and plots, next to which lines will run, the failure of projects related to e.g. the development of agritourism, but also possible difficulties for agricultural machinery. In the so -called technological lanes with which lines run cannot be erected residential buildings or plant trees.
– Fortunately, we are not approaching residential buildings outside the Tri -City – says Beata Nasiadka. He adds that even there, it was without the need for expropriation.
Finally The transmission easement agreement, i.e. the provision of your property for infrastructure, has concluded with PSE 60 percent owners, with which talks were held. The investor's representative points out that at first all of them opposed the plans. In other cases, pursuant to the location decision issued by the Pomeranian Voivode, there was an administrative limitation of the use of real estate.
New tableware in common rooms
Increasing social acceptance is to be served by the PSE “strengthen your surroundings” grant program, in which the operator will support in Pomerania in 2020-2025 in the years 2020-2025 272 projects. The program budget is PLN 5.9 million; As Beata Nasiadka says, the funds go to “small social initiatives” extended by residents or village councils.
– We do not finance the needs of our own municipalities such as road construction or sewage system – He reserves Nasiadka. Support is obtained by projects related to the needs of the community, next to which the lines will run – from the replacement of the floor in the village of the Children's Day, to the construction of the Outdoor gym, the regeneration of the playground or even the exchange of tableware in the common room. In addition, PSE organizes educational workshops for primary school students, and also develops a pilot patron class program at the Electrical Technical School in Wejherowo.
Actions addressed to children and youth are accompanied by long -term intentions – energy investments in Pomerania require and will require specialized staff. The operator declares the desire to “support the development of subsequent generations of electricity”, which the region is simply needed.
Pomeranian Local Content
PSE representatives hope that developmental impulses related to the presence of infrastructure and manufacturing sources will increase the level of support for the investment – also thanks to stimuli for local business. The investment costs in the station itself amount to over PLN 370 million net, to which you need to add PLN 70 million to switchgear, PLN 80 million to Żarnowiec and subsequent amounts for the next. Subcontractors have something to earn on.
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As Sebastian Dudziński said, companies from the region are present at the construction site, including Logistics and leveling services or providing concrete elements. The SPIE Energy Poland executive consortium comes from Gdańsk. The opportunity to join PSE investments will not be missing, as is the reasons for public consultations. Together with the future nuclear power plant, another station and subsequent lines will have to be built, but the song of the future is still a song.
