Fortum received money for important investments in three cities

• The new IT system will allow for much more precise network management than before. The total investment cost is over PLN 26 million.
• The funding concerns three cities: Wrocław: PLN 4.48 million, Płock: PLN 1.84 million and Częstochowa: PLN 1.53 million.
• Fortum will invest in two main areas: hardware and software.

The new IT system will allow for much more precise network management than before. The total investment cost is over PLN 26 million .

In practice, this means less energy loss, more precise and safe heat supply and over 13,000 tons less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere per year.

Two areas of investment: hardware and software

Fortum will invest in two main areas: hardware and software. First, it will modernize the devices controlling the heating substations. Second, it will implement an advanced IT system that will optimize the network's operating parameters in real time.

Fortum will replace communication devices in heating substations – where heat is delivered to buildings. It will also install new sensors and controllers that will allow remote monitoring of whether everything is working properly. This means: we will detect failures faster, react faster, and heat consumption will be better matched to the real needs of residents.

Thanks to the subsidy from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, it will also be possible to further develop the DSR mechanism (Demand Side Response), which enables the optimization of the heating system operation. The solution is based on partial shifting of the heat demand of recipients in time, accumulating heat surpluses in the system, both on the side of transmission networks and within the receiving installations. DSR requires the installation of dedicated devices.

Fewer interruptions, less losses and better control over the system

The second part is the implementation of an advanced system for managing the heating network. It works in real time – it analyses the weather, heat consumption and the technical situation of the network. On this basis, it sets the temperature and pressure in the network so that all recipients receive exactly as much heat as needed.

- The system also allows for better management of heat supply in crisis situations . If there is a break in supply in one place, you can quickly check how to deliver heat to our customers in an alternative way, and thus minimize the impact of this failure on the thermal comfort of residents. This means fewer breaks, fewer losses and better control over what is happening in the system - says Rafał Ciesielski, Fortum's heating network manager.

The funding covers three cities:

- Wrocław: PLN 4.48 million (modernization of 4,287 nodes, savings of 102,000 GJ per year);

- Płock: PLN 1.84 million (1,825 nodes, savings of 30,000 GJ);

- Częstochowa: PLN 1.53 million (2,187 nodes, savings of 34,000 GJ).

- The idea is for the heat to reach exactly where it is needed and only when it is needed, so that there are no losses, unnecessary costs and unnecessary emissions. This project gives us better control over the entire network and a faster reaction in the event of problems - says Piotr Górnik, president of Fortum Polska.

The project is being implemented as part of the “Digitization of heating networks” program and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027.