The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOSiGW) of Poland has allocated funding of PLN 133 million (approx. USD 32.2 million) for the exploration of geothermal resources in the voivodeships of Lubuskie, Lódzkie, Mazowieckie, and Swietokrzyskie. More specifically, the targeted sites are in the following communes:
Blonie
Grójec
Jablonna
Koluszki
Konskie
Lopuszno
Moszczenica
Serock
Stare Babice
Strzelce Krajenskie
The funding is granted by the program “Providing access to thermal waters in Poland” implemented by the NFOSiGW. The program allows for up to 100% subsidies granted to local governments for the drilling of a research well.
“The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management is financing 100 percent of the costs of the research drilling. We are aware that this is the beginning of the development of local heating, but we also wish that other areas in the field of geothermal energy would be used, e.g. in health resorts,” said Józef Matysiak, deputy president of the board of the NFOSiGW.
The subsidy greatly reduces the risk of geothermal exploration drilling and strengthens the resolve of local governments to invest in geothermal energy. If the drilling indicates the potential for economic use, heating companies can then apply to the NFOSiGW for co-financing of the construction of a geothermal heating plant.
A total of PLN 708 million has been planned for the implementation of the “Providing access to thermal waters in Poland” for the years 2020 to 2028. From the fund, PLN 658 million will be allocated for subsidies while PLN 50 million will be used for additional loans. Several funding agreements for geothermal exploration have been signed through the years, with the latest funding agreements signed just in October 2024.