Deconstruction of a coal-fired power plant in Ostrołęka is under way. Law and Justice party's flagship energy project has already cost 1,5 billion zlotys.
"As a local resident I'm extremely sad to witness this power plant going into its final stage, that is deconstruction. It has started at the start of the month, at the moment foundations for a cooling tower, built in 2018, are being taken apart" - Law and Justice (PiS) senator Krzysztof Majkowski told TVN24.
The two concrete pylons, the highest structures in Ostrołęka - each 138 metres-tall, still need to be demolished. It's a sad view" - he added.
The construction of block C in Ostrołęka power plant was meant to be one of the flagship investments of the current government. In 2018, the then Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchórzewski announced that the largest investment in eastern Poland would be complete within 5 years.
"This is to be the largest investment in eastern Poland in the last 30 years. (...) It will be an element of safety for this part of eastern Poland, as our part of the country, so far, has been devoid of energy security. Let's all make sure this power plant in Ostrołęka is built on time" - Mr Tchórzewski said at the time.
In late November of 2019, Poland's Climate Minister Michał Kurtyka declared in an interview for "Dziennik Gazeta Polska" that the Ostrołęka C would be Poland's last coal-fired plant. He added that it would only be constructed if the investors wanted so.
On February 13, 2020, the two utilities developing the plant, Enea and Energa, suspended the financing of the project due to "important factors in the market as well as the difficulty of obtaining external financing".
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Greenpeace