Polish Briefing: Katowice getting greener I KGHM breaks new records

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Katowice from a bird's eye view. Source: Wikipedia
Katowice from a bird's eye view. Source: Wikipedia

Katowice will modernize waste sorting and improve recycling

Katowice will receive more than PLN 11 million for the modernization of a waste sorting line. This will improve the process of sorting and recycling waste.

The Municipal Utility Company has signed an agreement with the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) to co-finance the modernization of a sorting line for waste collected selectively.

„On Monday, an agreement was signed to co – finance the modernization of the sorting line for segregated waste, which is located at the MPGK Waste Recovery and Disposal Plant in Katowice,” the NFOŚiGW said in a statement.

„Investments in modernizing machines to increase the recovery of recyclable raw materials is something that is worth doing as it has a huge impact on the lives of the residents of Katowice – both today and in the coming years and even generations. A cleaner, healthier environment affects us all,” says Bogumił Sobula, vice-president of Katowice.

The total estimated cost of the project is almost PLN 39 million. The non-refundable grant from the NFOŚiGW will amount to more than PLN 11 million, and the preferential loan to PLN 27 million. The remaining amount will be covered from MPGK’s own budget.

The new, modernized sorting facility will be one of the key elements of the integrated waste management system in Katowice. The expansion is expected to have a positive impact on increasing the achieved level of raw material recovery from waste. „According to EU directives, the expected level of raw material waste submitted for recycling is increasing from year to year – by 2035 it should amount to 65 percent of all municipal waste,” reports the Polish Press Agency.

Polish Press Agency / Jędrzej Stachura

KGHM’s record copper and silver production

KGHM achieved production records. In the first half of 2023, the company produced more than 677 tons of silver and 202 thousand tons of copper in concentrate. This is the best result in several years.

KGHM has reported that in the first half of 2023, it recorded the largest mining production of copper in five years and silver in concentrate.

„The best result since 2004when it comes to semi-annual copper extraction – 677.4 tons. The highest result in five years when it comes to semi-annual copper production in concentrate – this is how we work as a giant, this is how our employees build KGHM’s success. The best result for the half-year production since 2018 was made possible by our crew and effective management. We have a vision and ambitious development plans, which we consistently implement. Once again, we are proving our strong position among the global industry leaders and building the success of the Polish economy,” said Tomasz Zdzikot, president of KGHM.

Preliminary production results for June 2023, the copper giant’s production reveal record levels. Copper mining production amounted to 202.3 thousand tons of the raw material in concentrate and was higher by nearly 2 percent compared to the result for the first half of 2022 (198.9 thousand tons).

„The production of electrolytic copper is at a similar level as in the same period in 2022: 295.8 thousand tons (first half of 2023) compared to 296.3 thousand tons (first half of 2022). The production of silver in concentrate amounted to 677.4 tons, which is the best half-year result of the copper giant for the comparable period since 2004,” the company statement said.

Metallic silver production in the first half of 2023 amounted to 699.2 tonnes (+ 31 tonnes in relation to the first half of 2022) and was the highest in the comparable period since 2018.

„The highest copper mining production since 2018 and the largest silver mining production for nearly twenty years is the result of the hard work of the KGHM crew and effective management. We get more output and make sure it is of the highest quality,” said Marek Świder, VP for Production at KGHM.

The company is one of the world’s leading producers of copper and silver. In the World Silver Survey 2023, it retained the first place as „the largest silver mine in the world” and the second place in the category of „the largest silver producers”. Currently, it occupies the eighth place in the list of the world’s largest copper producers.

KGHM / Jędrzej Stachura