“Wodociągi Słupsk” Sp. z o.o. hosted the Pomeranian Waterworks Forum conference, which took place on March 23–25, 2022. During the conference, industry professionals exchanged experiences in the fields of wastewater, energy, and water management. Among the highlights, alternative methods for recovering electricity and heat implemented at the Słupsk wastewater treatment plant were presented. These achievements were made possible primarily through the Company’s investments in energy infrastructure, largely supported by European Union funding. Particular attention was drawn to the energy project implemented by “Wodociągi Słupsk” under the RPO WP 2014–2020, titled: “Utilization of Waste Heat from Biogas Cogeneration in the District Heating System of the City of Słupsk.” This project is carried out within the framework of the Słupsk Bioenergy Cluster and aims to develop a local model of distributed energy, where local enterprises and energy communities should transition as broadly as possible from being “industrial energy consumers” to becoming “industrial auto-producers” or business prosumers. The project, based on the combined production of heat and electricity from biogas and the utilization of waste heat, serves as a catalyst for the development of local energy, power generation, and distribution. It enhances the efficiency of the district heating system in the city of Słupsk, reduces the emission levels of energy production, and positively impacts the costs of municipal services in the region. The decentralization of generation sources improves heat transmission efficiency, introduces a competitive element, and ensures better utilization of energy potential.
During numerous presentations, the achieved results were presented, and experiences regarding the deployment, execution, and operation of new equipment were shared. The participants showed a keen interest in the outcomes of the completed works, as well as their implementation costs.
The conference culminated in field visits, during which the forum participants toured both the Słupsk wastewater treatment plant facility and the water treatment station.