New chimneys promise a boom
It will be the biggest and most efficient sewage processing site in the country and will serve most of the western coastal region as well as Szczecin itself.
Cities such as Chorzów and Katowice are also undergoing intensive feasibility studies to prepare for the construction of new sewerage and heating systems, which will replace about 35 percent of the towns' existing facilities by the end of 2005. Construction will begin next year and will be financed with the help of EU cohesion funds. Over the next twenty years, in fact, Polish cities should receive up to zł.185.2 billion (E40 billion) from such funds to assist this kind of project.
Other types of plant, such as processing factories for example, which have been listed as serious polluters in Poland, have been obliged to reduce the emission of fumes from their factory chimneys. According to Monika Antosz, an environmental expert in the construction industry, about 25 percent of the chimneys in the Silesia region are so old that they will need to be dismantled before any new construction can begin. Companies specializing in the building of industrial chimneys (of 30 meters and above) have already been approached by steelworks and other heavy industrial concerns to construct new ones. As there are only five construction companies in Poland with this expertise, they can expect a major boost to their workloads over the next five years, especially given the 2010 deadline that has been negotiated by the Polish government and the EU. By that time, either new chimneys equipped with fume-reduction facilities will have been built or companies will be forced to curb production, which will make it almost impossible for them to break even.
EU consultant Krzysztof Majewski, however, believes that there are not enough experts who specialize in EU financing for environmental projects and this may turn out to be a real hindrance to any construction boom in this market. A lot of companies are also unaware of the EcoFund, which issues non-refundable grants of up to 80 percent of the value of an investment in new chimneys, sewerage processing facilities, heating systems and recycling plants. Another obstacle as far as the latter is concerned is that their construction and location have not been adequately regulated. This led to building work on a huge recycling plant in Opole, in the south of Poland, being halted in August after environmental groups protested against it.
There is also only one company, the International Advisory Search for Trade & Finance, which possesses the right knowledge and experience to assist local authorities apply for EcoFund financing, and only seven consultancy companies are in the position to help institutions acquire EU funds for ecological investments. The construction boom is as yet only on paper.
Cities such as Chorzów and Katowice are also undergoing intensive feasibility studies to prepare for the construction of new sewerage and heating systems, which will replace about 35 percent of the towns' existing facilities by the end of 2005. Construction will begin next year and will be financed with the help of EU cohesion funds. Over the next twenty years, in fact, Polish cities should receive up to zł.185.2 billion (E40 billion) from such funds to assist this kind of project.
Other types of plant, such as processing factories for example, which have been listed as serious polluters in Poland, have been obliged to reduce the emission of fumes from their factory chimneys. According to Monika Antosz, an environmental expert in the construction industry, about 25 percent of the chimneys in the Silesia region are so old that they will need to be dismantled before any new construction can begin. Companies specializing in the building of industrial chimneys (of 30 meters and above) have already been approached by steelworks and other heavy industrial concerns to construct new ones. As there are only five construction companies in Poland with this expertise, they can expect a major boost to their workloads over the next five years, especially given the 2010 deadline that has been negotiated by the Polish government and the EU. By that time, either new chimneys equipped with fume-reduction facilities will have been built or companies will be forced to curb production, which will make it almost impossible for them to break even.
EU consultant Krzysztof Majewski, however, believes that there are not enough experts who specialize in EU financing for environmental projects and this may turn out to be a real hindrance to any construction boom in this market. A lot of companies are also unaware of the EcoFund, which issues non-refundable grants of up to 80 percent of the value of an investment in new chimneys, sewerage processing facilities, heating systems and recycling plants. Another obstacle as far as the latter is concerned is that their construction and location have not been adequately regulated. This led to building work on a huge recycling plant in Opole, in the south of Poland, being halted in August after environmental groups protested against it.
There is also only one company, the International Advisory Search for Trade & Finance, which possesses the right knowledge and experience to assist local authorities apply for EcoFund financing, and only seven consultancy companies are in the position to help institutions acquire EU funds for ecological investments. The construction boom is as yet only on paper.
