October 2025, Issue 10 (856)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

BULLETIN OF ENERGOPOMIAR

Magdalena Malara, Anna Nitarska-Fink
Why environmental procedures take so long?
Analysis of the problems from decisions to appeals

Adrianna Telega
Environmental issue management, including risks water management in energy projects
– the analysis of institutional barriers and engineering practices

Magdalena Malara, Anna Zielińska, Paweł Szadek
The role of industrial area reclamation in energy transition

Wojciech Rajek
The development of Owner’s Engineer services towards comprehensive consulting

Wiktor Skowron
The role of an Independent Technical Consultant in financing energy projects

Anna Kołodziej, Elżbieta Boehme
Challenges and operating problems related to the boiler heating elements at the time of energy transition

Jerzy Mazurek
The selected lessons learned from the use of a heat pump for heating the single-family house previously heated by the coal-fired boiler

Rafał Czekalski, Bartłomiej Dziubek
Energy storage – the final stage of energy transition

 

POWER ENGINEERING AND PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Michał Kopyciok
Balancing on the edge – working at height

 

Jacek Nowicki
The rise, development and twilight of German nuclear power. Part 2

Anżelina Marek, Krzysztof Kania, Grzegorz Zając, Henryk Kania, Veronika Steinerová, Andrea Milerová
Reasons for the increased corrosion resistance of ZnAl coatings on reinforcing steel

 

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SUMMARIES

 

Magdalena Malara, Anna Nitarska-Fink
Why environmental procedures take so long? Analysis of the problems from decisions to appeals
The article offers the analysis for reasons for protracted environmental procedures in Poland, with special consideration of procedures related to the issuance of environmental decisions and subsequent stages of the investment process – from spatial planning to judicial and administrative appeals. The article discusses not only formal and legal factors (e.g., multi-stage procedures, consultation obligations, involvement of multiple authorities) but also practical obstacles in proceedings, such as incomplete documentation, low quality of EIA reports, lack of effective communication with authorities and frequent staff and competence shortages in administration. Special attention is paid to the role of ecological organizations and local communities which, as parties or participants in proceedings, can submit substantive comments, request the completion of documentation or if their views are not taken into account, lodge appeals and complaints with the courts. Even though public involvement increases transparency of the process, in practice it may also prolong procedures, especially in case of conflicts. All this leads to the conclusion that counteracting the protracted nature of proceedings requires both administrative procedure simplification and early involvement of the public in the decision-making process and also the improvement of the quality of environmental documentation.

 

Adrianna Telega
Environmental issue management, including risks water management in energy projects – the analysis of institutional barriers and engineering practices
The article provides a critical analysis of institutional conditions and engineering practices determining the management of environmental issues in the energy sector in Poland, with particular emphasis on the risks associated with water management in the context of the implementation of infrastructure investments. The article highlights inconsistencies in legislation, interpretative difficulties as regards water legal and environmental procedures and the limited cooperation between institutions. A comprehensive review of case studies and consultations with energy investment specialists have revealed a number of significant practical issues. These include restrictions on design freedom, procedural delays and obstacles to the implementation of modern technological solutions. The article emphasizes the need for a systemic link not only between the results of environmental impact assessments and investment implementation schedules but also various stages of project life cycle management. Furthermore, special attention is drawn to the necessity for enhanced implementation of technical solutions, including local retention systems, water reuse methodologies and resource recovery technologies, in addition to the utilization of tools designed to facilitate hydrological forecasting. Moreover, the article underlines the pivotal importance of cooperation between public administration and design and construction entities involved in investment projects.

 

Magdalena Malara, Anna Zielińska, Paweł Szadek
The role of industrial area reclamation in energy transition
Reclamation of post-industrial areas is a crucial element of effective energy transition. Restoring natural and economic values of the degraded areas not only reduces negative effects of historical industrial activity but, first and foremost, creates new possibilities of the development of renewable energy sources and implementation of circular economy principles, among others. The article presents both the possibilities and obstacles that may be encountered during reclamation processes and also the examples of projects ordered by ZE PAK S.A., undertaken and successfully implemented by „Energopomiar” Sp. z o.o.

 

Wojciech Rajek
The development of Owner’s Engineer services towards comprehensive consulting
The market of Owner’s Engineer services is undergoing constant changes towards the expansion of services rendered by service providers. The pace and nature of these changes are dictated by growing expectations of contracting parties as regards the scope of competence of the Owner’s Engineer. The article presents a simplified history of this evolution and its reasons and moreover highlights the consequences.

 

Wiktor Skowron
The role of an Independent Technical Consultant in financing energy projects
The article presents the role of an Independent Technical Consultant (ITC) as a participant of the investment process that creates a connection between the Investor/Debtor and the financing institution. The scope of reports to be developed is indicated which the ITC prepares in order to describe the investment process and moreover most frequent problems with obtaining financing are shortly outlined. 

 

Anna Kołodziej, Elżbieta Boehme
Challenges and operating problems related to the boiler heating elements at the time of energy transition
Apart from its undeniable advantages, energy transition also gives rise to a number of problems related to load regulation mode and thus equipment durability. This process will require increasingly higher engineering competencies in the scope of maintaining proper parameters of cycle medium and also solving problems related to progressive corrosion, wearing out heating elements of the boiler and deficiencies in the flow system of the turbine. The article is an attempt to identify and systematize problems which may arise during flexible operation. Special attention is drawn to the aspects related to diagnostics, material and operational issues, which play a significant role in maintaining reliability and also safe operation of equipment in the new realities of the energy sector.

 

Jerzy Mazurek
The selected lessons learned from the use of a heat pump for heating the single-family house previously heated by the coal-fired boiler
The article presents the selected lessons learned from the use of a heat pump for heating the single-family house previously heated by the coal-fired boiler. The article highlights the obtained experience as regards the heat pump power supply and corrosion risks due to the quality of water used. The actual Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the heat pump is determined by referring the electrical energy used to heat previously supplied from coal combustion. Moreover, general remarks relating to the enhancement of more popular deployment of heat pumps in the district heating sector are discussed.

 

Rafał Czekalski, Bartłomiej Dziubek
Energy storage – the final stage of energy transition
The effective use of renewable energy sources (RES), which are one of the pillars of energy transition, will require the use of energy storage systems. Energy storage systems enable the release of stored energy generated when production exceeds current demand in case of demand higher than production. The article describes the methods of storing electricity in galvanic cells (energy battery storage systems) and in pumped-storage power plants and also heat storage in heat accumulators. Additionally, the article highlights the impact of electricity storage on the energy power system as regards RES integration, more efficient use of conventional sources and also on the peak demand. Moreover, the model of a daily heat accumulator is presented whose aim is to increase effectiveness and efficiency of operation of district heating systems that use cogeneration and renewable heat sources.

 

Jacek Nowicki
The rise, development and twilight of German nuclear power. Part 2
In the second part of this article, we continue the discussion of the history of German nuclear energy, begun in „Energetyka” No. 08/2025. We present the export of West German nuclear technologies, as well as the pioneering achievements achieved in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1970s and 1980s in the field of high-temperature and breeder reactors. We then discuss the sequence of events leading to the final abandonment of nuclear energy development in reunified Germany and its contemporary consequences.

 

Anżelina Marek, Krzysztof Kania, Grzegorz Zając, Henryk Kania, Veronika Steinerová, Andrea Milerová
Reasons for the increased corrosion resistance of ZnAl coatings on reinforcing steel
This article presents the corrosion behavior of Zn-5Al coatings obtained on B500B reinforcing steel. The structural components of the coating and the corrosion products formed on the coating surface in the neutral salt spray (NSS) test (EN ISO 9227) were identified. The Zn-5Al coatings demonstrated improved corrosion resistance compared to traditional zinc coatings due to the formation of favorable corrosion products: Zn5(OH)8Cl2•H2O and layered double hydroxides (LDH) based on divalent Zn2+ cations, trivalent Al3+ cations, and Cl- anions.