EC grants Poland EUR 100 mln for waste management investments

The European Commission (EC) approved two Polish investments on Thursday related to the development of waste exploitation, for which it plans to allocate over EUR 100 mln, the EC said.

"Nearly EUR 63 million from the Cohesion Fund will be provided for the construction of a municipal waste treatment plant in Gdansk (northern Poland - PAP). Another EUR 40 mln will be devoted to the development of a similar energy recovery facility in Olsztyn (northern Poland - PAP)," EC Spokesperson Stefan De Keersmaecker said.

Thanks to thermal utilization of about 160,000 tonnes of solid municipal waste per year, the plant in Gdansk is to generate electricity and useful heat. A similar power plant using waste as a raw material is to be built in Olsztyn.

EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira said the two facilities would improve the waste treatment and efficiency of energy production in both cities. Globally, they reduce the waste burden for the environment on the entire area of the Baltic Sea, she added.

According to the EC, the plant in Olsztyn will be launched in November 2022, while the investment in Gdansk will be opened on January 2023.