One of Poland’s largest renewable energy investments is under construction in Chęciny. It’s Industria’s 195 MW photovoltaic farm, which is capable of providing clean power to 78,000 households and generating up to PLN 35 million for the municipality over 25 years.
The photovoltaic farm in Chęciny, with an impressive capacity of 195 MW, has received grid connection conditions to Polish Power System. It’s one of the largest projects of its kind in Poland. The developer is XOOG and the owner is Industria, a state-owned company belonging to the ARP Group (Agencja Rozwoju Przemysłu),
The 195 MW photovoltaic farm in Chęciny will not only strengthen the position of the Świętokrzyskie province on the map of renewable energy sources, but will also contribute to the development of the entire region.
With the planned capacity, it’s estimated that over the next 25 years the Świętokrzyskie plant will produce more than 5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, equivalent to the annual demand of about 2 million households. In addition, the investment will benefit the municipality of Chęciny in the form of property taxes, generating about PLN 35 million over 25 years.
“Kielce I”
The “Kielce I” project, as this is the working name of the photovoltaic farm in Chęciny, is part of the strategy for the development of renewable energy sources in Poland, contributing to the reduction of CO₂ emissions and supporting the country’s energy transition, increasing the number of jobs and capital inflow.
The investment has been planned in such a way that it can be implemented under the formula of connection to the grid of the OSD (Operator of the Distribution System – such as Energa, Enea, Tauron or PGE), generating millions of zlotys of revenue annually from the sale of electricity. Alternatively, the “Kielce I” project can be used to
Both concepts fit in with the development strategy of Industria’s Swietokrzyskie Industrial Group and the plan to create a Central Hydrogen Valley, spearheaded by Industria. That’s why the Świętokrzyska group became interested in XOOG’s investment and, after a thorough legal and technical audit conducted by specialists from the renowned fitmy EY, received a positive recommendation for purchase. The parties agreed that the best possible solution would be for Industria to sell its shares and take control of the investment
Key step
The “Kielce I” investment has applied for conditions for connection to the PSE distribution grid since April 10, 2024. The purpose of the application was revenue diversification for the investor. Regardless of long-term plans to produce green hydrogen, the developer, XOOG, wanted to provide Industria with the opportunity to sell energy here and now, as is done in all solar installations in Poland, whose capacity already exceeds 19 GW, already forming a very stable and established sector of the energy market.
That’s why the grid connection conditions from PSE for the Chęciny farm is a key step not only for this investment but also for the entire solar market in Poland.
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