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Polish Briefing 24 February, 2023 7:30 am   
COMMENTS: Joanna Słowińska

Polish Briefing: Decarbonization in Gdynia I NS2 evidence perished

pge-energia-ciepla-elektrocieplownia-w-rzeszowie Picture by PGE Energia Ciepła

What goes on in Poland on the 24th of February.

PGE EC decarbonizes the largest heating plant in Gdynia

PGE Energia Ciepła has started the process of moving away from coal and switching to low-carbon fuel, i.e. gas, at the Gdynia CHP plant. In the oldest building of the power plant, where fuel oil boilers from the 1970s were used, a modern Reserve-Peak Boiler House No. 2 with three water – oil-gas boilers with a capacity of 30 MW each is being built. On February 22, 2023, a foundation act was laid for the construction of the new boiler house and an Ecological Declaration was signed.

Documents showing how East Germans defended Nord Stream 2 may have burned in a fireplace

The German portal Cicero has reported that a tax officer burned in a fireplace at least one tax return from the “Climate Foundation” Stiftung Klimaschutz established to protect the disputed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from US sanctions. The foundation is now the target of an investigation.

Cicero obtained findings of the prosecutor’s office in Stralsund, which is investigating the legality of the transfer of 10 million euros by the operator of Nord Stream 2 (completely owned by Russian Gazprom) to the Klimaschutz Stiftung foundation. The audit revealed that the tax document in this case was missing, and Cicero argues that it may have been burned. The official in charge of the case said that “in an act of panic” she threw the papers into a fireplace.

Stiftung Klimaschutz is a foundation established by the Land of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 2021. It helped to protect the disputed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from US sanctions that could not cover US allies, such as the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern local government. The foundation chartered a vessel called the Blue Ship, which completed the NS2 construction despite the spectre of U.S. sanctions.

This erupted in a scandal after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, which was preceded by Gazprom starting an energy crisis in Europe. The Land government, headed by Manuela Schwesig, the Prime Minister, has been accused of succumbing to the influence of Russia. This is the subject of an ongoing investigation of a Bundestag Inquiry Commission.