Electricity, cooling, and heat thanks to KGHM’s innovative solution

Safety and proper working conditions at the working faces in the mines – the technical acceptance of the Surface-based Air Conditioning Station at the KGHM-owned GG-1 shaft is underway.  For the KGHM, this is a key investment project, as it allows work at a depth of about 1,300 m, where the average primary temperature of the rock mass is about 50 degrees Celsius.

The innovative technology used in the Surface Air Conditioning Station allows the combined production of heat and electricity from natural gas. The system ensures the continuity and reliability of the cooling supplied to the mine headings and allows elimination of the need to purchase electricity for the plant. This, in turn, helps improve the company’s energy efficiency.

The project is environmentally friendly and is expected to save money through the use of a tri-generation system: the electricity produced will power the air conditioning station equipment, the recovered heat energy will be used for cooling by absorption units and in winter to heat the air flowing into the shaft and the buildings at the GG-1 shaft yard.

Construction of the Surface Air Conditioning Station began in 2019. The project is to be completed in three stages allowing generation of cooling at the capacity of 22 MWt, 33 MWt, and 40 MWt, respectively. The general contractor is a KGHM Group company, Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Kopalń PeBeKa S.A.