Impact of Escalating Emission Requirements on the Operation of Heating Systems in Poland

Heating plants in many cities in Poland are the key elements of the centralised heating systems, because they ensure security of heat delivery. More and more restrictive air pollution emission levels, presented in the Best Available Techniques (BAT) conclusions, force these plants to invest in costly flue gas treatment systems. In the article the Polish heating sector is described and plants included in the emission regulations are characterised. There is presented the evolution of emission limit values, as well as current pollution emission level from existing plants. From available techniques of flue gas treatment there has been chosen the most suitable ones for the characteristics of the operation of heating plants with grate boilers. Chosen techniques have been subjected to the economic analysis, taking into account investment, operation and environmental costs. Finally, the article assesses how the cost of flue gas treatment plant may affect the change of heat price for the customers.