Hydroelectric plants in the South-East get the turbine ready to roll

By the end of 2005 six new hydroelectric power stations will be constructed in the Opole voivodeship. Each generator will produce 1.5MW of power. The total cost of the investment is likely to exceed zl. 100 million. Three companies, EGO from Warsaw, MEW from Katowice and Naviga from Wroclaw plan to build the stations on the Odra River. The investors have already obtained a license from Wroclaw-based Regional Management of Water Economy to produce and sell the the electricity for 20 years. According to Tomasz Kalinowski from Naviga, the plants will be small and focus on providing energy for small towns with populations of around 3,000. Construction work will commence later this year, with the last generator to come on line by the end of 2005. The investors, apart from their own capital, will be able to use money from the Voivodeship and National Environment Protection Funds. "We expect these will provide 40-50% of the resources needed for the project," said Wiktor Wiktorko, president of EGO. (Puls Biznesu, p. 11) P.W.