Almost 98% of the residents use the municipal water supply system. The municipal sewage system is used by 95% of the residents.

Water supply and sewage systems

In 2017, the consumption of water from the water supply system was 31 million m3, of which 21.6 million m3 was used by households. This means that the average resident used 40 m3 of water for household purposes throughout the year. After treatment, the quality of water supplied by the water supply system offered by Aquanet S.A. (Aquanet) was good and did not deviate from the applicable standards.

All wastewater was treated mechanically and biologically in two major wastewater treatment plants in Poznań, namely Centralna Oczyszczalnia Ścieków in Koziegłowy and Lewobrzeżna Oczyszczalnia Ścieków in Serbska Street. The total volume of wastewater treated by the Poznań treatment plants was 54.4 thousand m3 per year.

Investment projects and renovations

Aquanet SA carried out new projects and renovation works to improve the water and sewage management and protect water resources in Poznań and its vicinity. Projects carried out in 2017 included:

  • construction of a Juników sanitary sewer on the section between Samotna and Głogowska Streets
  • modernisation of the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Wiśniowa Street
  • water and sewage works, e.g. in Jana Pawła II, Krzywoustego, Łacina (Centrum Posnania) Streets and in ks. Skorupki neighbourhood.

The total value of the works carried out in 2017 was PLN 53.6 million.
In October 2017, Aquanet signed a contract with the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management to co-finance the “Reorganisation of water and wastewater management to protect water resources in Poznań and the surrounding area” project – stage VI as part of the “Water and wastewater management in agglomerations” measure under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment. By the end of 2017, the company had completed 8% of the project that is to be completed in 2023.

In 2017, the City concluded agreements with local social associations on the implementation of joint infrastructural projects relating to the construction of water and sewage networks, with a total length of 1,408 m, in, among others, Bruzdowa, Lubelska, Cieszyńska, Szczepankowo, Studzienna and Przebiśniegowa Streets.
In 2017, the Poznań City Council adopted the Multiannual Development and Modernisation Plan for Water Supply Facilities and Sewage Equipment owned by Aquanet S.A. for, 2017-2026, and the Multiannual Development and Modernisation Plan for Sewage Equipment owned by the Municipal Roads Authority in Poznań, for 2017-2019.

In 2017, households in Poznań consumed an average of 59 thousand m3 of water daily. It is as much as can be contained in 20 Olympic pools.

Electricity

In 2017, ENEA Operator Sp. z o.o. (ENEA), an electricity supplier, recorded an increase in the number of customers from Poznań households and from non-residential premises.

Electricity recipients in Poznań
2016
2017
w tys. w tys.
Total number of recipients of which: 296,4 301,4
industry 0,7 0,7
dwellings 269,2 273,1
non-residential premises 26,5 27,6
Source: ENEA Operator Sp. z o.o.

In 2017, electricity consumption in Poznań was 2,260 GWh, which represents an increase by 23 GWh compared to 2016 (in dwellings, electricity consumption increased by 5.1 GWh).

Investment and modernisations

In 2017, work was carried out in the city to improve the reliability of electricity supply in the Poznań agglomeration. Tasks performed to this end include:

  • programme providing for liquidation of the 6kV grid to reduce the outlays for the operation of the 6 kV emergency grid, which is largely over 50 years old; it was the next stage of the modernisation project, scheduled to be completed in 2022
  • work to increase automation by providing remotely controlled switches and telemechanical solutions in MV/LV stations.

In order to increase the security of electricity supply for the city, ENEA plans to:

  • construct a 110/15 kV station in Towarowa Street
  • reconstruct the 110/15 kV station in Główna Street
  • construct an overhead 110 kV Kromolice-Nagradowice-Swarzędz and Kromolice-Gądki line and a switching station in Garaszewo.

These investments will modernise the energy infrastructure, thus improving the power supply conditions, and will allow for the construction of a more sustainable and efficient energy system.

District heating

Access to the district heating in Poznań is provided by Veolia Energia Poznań S.A. (Veolia), belonging to the French Veolia Environnement group. The municipal heating system in Poznań is developed through connecting both buildings under construction and existing ones. At the end of 2017, the length of the Poznań district heating was 538.6 km, including 13.9 km constructed within that year – recipients with a total capacity of 45.3 MW were connected.

KAWKA programme

As part of the KAWKA programme, aimed at improving environmental conditions and reducing air pollution in Poznań, connection of buildings in the oldest Poznań districts, such as Łazarz and Wilda as well as the city centre was continued by integrating coal-fired buildings into the district heating. In 2017, as part of the programme, 127 grants were awarded in the total amount of PLN 1.6 million. As many as 508 coal- and wood-fired furnaces were eliminated, and solid fuel burning was reduced by 1,171.17 tons. 257 furnaces were replaced with system heat, 226 ones with gas heating and 25 ones with electric heating. Emission of exhaust gases to the air was reduced: by 9.43 tons of PM10 and 5.8 kg of benzo(a)pyrene.

New connections to the district heating

In 2017, Veolia concluded about 140 connection agreements for the supply of a total of 44.8 MW of heat from the district heating, of which approx. 40% provided for the liquidation of existing heat sources (gas, oil, solid fuels) that did not belong to Veolia.

Furthermore, as part of the KERMIT project, 18 gas sources belonging to Veolia, providing a total of 6.5 MW heat, were liquidated and replaced with connections to the district heating. In 2015-2017, Veolia liquidated a total of 57 small boiler plants with a thermal power of 36 MW. Buildings heated by liquidated boiler rooms are now connected to the district heating, and residents can use centrally prepared hot potable water.

New investments

Preparatory work related to the extension of the district heating began in Gnieźnieńska, Opolska, Wieruszowska, Krauthofera and Trójpole Streets, in regions distant from the existing heating infrastructure. The work will be implemented as part of the Integrated Territorial Investments programme.

Gas provision

Fuel gas is supplied to Poznań households and industry by Polska Spółka Gazownictwa Sp. z o.o. (PSG) Poznań Branch, serving 180.4 thousand customers, including 178.6 thousand private ones.

In 2017, the company sold 236.9 million m3 of gas, i.e. 1.8% more than in 2016. About 60% of gas consumption in the city is attributable to industrial customers, and the remaining 40% – to households. Currently, 80% of residents use the municipal gas network.

Since January 2017, PSG has been operating within a new organisational structure. The Poznań Branch of the Gas Plant is an integral part of PSG, being one of the largest of 17 Gas Plant Branches throughout Poland. The Poznań Branch of the Gas Plant operates currently 18 Gasworks throughout Wielkopolska, including three ones in Poznań.

538.6 km – this was the length of the district heating system in 2017, including 13.9 km constructed in that year

Aquanet S.A. in Poznań won the “Głośna woda” (Loud water) competition in the category of cities with a population of over 100,000 inhabitants, for conducting educational activities in unusual spaces, for example at art vernissages, but in an amusing way, particularly for the “Zdrowy Związek. Ty i woda z kranu” (Healthy Relationship. You and tap water).

Technical infrastructure in Poznań
Item 2000 2005 2010 2014 2015 2016 2000=100
Waterworks
The length of the distribution water supply network in km 758.6 866.7 910.5 1,156.6 1,172.3 1,185.7 156
Consumption of water from waterworks in households in million m3 27.2 24.0 22.9 22.0 21.3 21.8 80
Users of waterworks as a proportion of the total population 95.4* 95.4 96.5 97.1 97.9 97.9 2.5
Sewerage
The length of the active sewage system in km 623.7 718.6 758.2 925.7 951.9 977.3 157
Users of the sewage system as a proportion of the total population 89.5* 89.6 90.4 93.6 94.6 94.7 5.2
Gas system
The length of the active gas system in km 1,109.6 1,184.3 1,240.9 1,283.4 1,294.2 1,300.4 117
Users of the gas system as a percentage of the total population 89.0* 89.0 87.2 81.3 80.4 79.6 -9.4
* 2002
Source: Central Statistical Office

 

Technical infrastructure in large Polish cities in 2016
Poznań Kraków Łódź Warsaw Wrocław
Users of waterworks as a proportion of the total population 97.9 99.7 94.9 95.9 96.6
Users of the sewage system as a proportion of the total population 94.7 91.8 87.5 93.3 92.8
Users of the gas system as a percentage of the total population 79.6 72.5 82.0 76.6 78.0
Source: Polish Central Statistical Office