Development of regions and local communities

Construction of the 400 kV Ostrołęka-Stanisławów power line is an investment project of strategic importance for the Mazovian Voivodeship. The estimated length of the route is about 100 km. Currently, the Warsaw agglomeration and Ostrołęka are connected by a 220 kV line built in the early 1970s. With increasing energy demand and planned changes in the generation profile, it is no longer sufficient, and due to its age, it is also more susceptible to failures and extreme weather conditions. The new 400 kV line will help increase the amount of energy transmitted while reducing losses and having less impact on the environment.

1. Meetings with authorities and commune councils
   
   The information and consultation process provided for residents and local authorities of communes along the considered line route variants started in July 2019. A total of 67 meetings were held to present the contractor's proposals for routing the line in a number of variants. Representatives of the investor and the contractor visited a total of 16 communes. The first meeting was always addressed to authorities in a given area, i.e. local authorities, mayors and village leaders. The subject of talks with local governments included the purpose of the investment project, proposed location variants, environmental impact, technical aspects and benefits. Working relationships (face-to-face, by phone, correspondence) are continued throughout the investment project implementation period as required.
   
   
2. Open meetings with residents
   
   As part of the activities conducted, 22 meetings were held with commune residents. In several cases, follow-up meetings were required for residents of the same commune.
   
   
3. Study visits - PEM measurements
   
   In response to the reported needs of residents, two study visits for the residents of the communes of Jadów and Strachówka were organized during the consultation process, where measurements of electromagnetic field (PEM) impact under the operating 400 kV line were taken.
   
   
4. Study visits ─ KDM
   
   Another type of a study visit was a visit on September 5, 2019 by the mayor and councilors of the commune of Zabrodzie to the headquarters of the National Dispatch Center, the place from which the Polish power system is managed. It was an opportunity to present the need for expansion and modernization of the transmission network nationwide and provide information on its impact on the state's ability to grow.
   
   
5. Media activities
   
   Information about the investment project has appeared in the following media: Fakty WWL, „Goniec Tłuszczański”, „Kurier W” and „Życie Powiatu na Mazowszu”. A number of articles about the consultations were available on Tuba Wyszkowa and in weekly "Nowy Wyszkowiak"; a publication about the need to expand the EHV network appeared in weekly "Wyszkowiak", Tuba Wyszkowa and in "Tygodnik Ostrołęcki".
   
   
6. Geo-survey
   
   In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, a new tool was implemented to communicate with residents - the geo-survey. From this application, available on the investment project website https://liniaostrolekastanislawow.pl/ it was possible to find out what are the proposed line route variants. Residents could measure the distance from the line to the indicated point, indicate which solution they preferred, and make comments. The website also provides: a set of most important questions and answers (FAQ), materials concerning the terms and conditions for the investment project implementation, legal aspects and environmental impact. The new tool was implemented in response to the inability to conduct open meetings with residents during an epidemic risk.
   
   
7. WzMOCnij swoje otoczenie (EmPOWER Your Environment)
   
   PSE has launched a grant program in more than 70 communes, including all the communes where the 400 kV Ostrołęka-Stanisławów line will run. Many ideas were submitted, of which more than a dozen were implemented. Each of them had a chance to make a positive difference in the local area, improving quality of life, public spaces, safety, or helping to better combat Covid-19. The winning projects include the construction of outdoor gyms, modernization of school computer rooms, health and medical care activities, and environmental protection campaigns.

Construction of the 400 kV Mikułowa-Świebodzice power line is necessary to ensure sufficient and stable power supply to all customers in the Lower Silesia. The new system will replace the 220 kV line that has been in operation for over 50 years. The route has an estimated length of about 107 km and will pass through several communes.

The information and consultation process provided for residents and local authorities of communes along the considered line route variants started in December 2017. At that time, the kickoff meeting was held at the Lower Silesian Voivodship Office. Since January 2018, meetings with the commune authorities (village leaders, mayors, commune councils) were held, during which the investor's representatives informed about the information and consultation process and agreed with the authorities on the details of conducting information activities regarding the investment project. Meetings were also held to provide an opportunity to review proposals for the line route in a number of variants. The next stage of communication activities was to obtain opinions of forest inspectorates and important details concerning the presented line variant, as well as the proposed construction technology, influencing the final course of the investment project (6 meetings).

In total, investor representatives visited 17 communes. The subject of talks with local governments included the purpose of the investment project, proposed location variants, environmental impact, technical aspects and benefits. Working contacts - face-to-face, by phone and correspondence - continue throughout the investment project duration as needed.

1. Meetings with authorities and commune councils
   
   The first stage of the consultation process were working consultations with communes - 17 meetings held on the consultation of the power line route - conducted in 2018. During the meetings, the line route was analyzed and route adjustments submitted by commune planning services were collected. The second stage of the consultation process was to present the line route and the investment project assumptions during sessions of municipal councils. The presentations took place between January and April 2019. A total of 16 meetings were held. The presentations of the investment project assumptions during the commune council sessions took place in a calm and constructive atmosphere. During the meetings, the principles of PSE's CSR program "EmPower Your Environment" were also discussed. Councilors mainly asked questions regarding the issue of establishing a utility easement and the future use of the real property following the construction of the power line.
   
   JOne of the effects of the line route presentation during the commune council session included the proposed adjustment in the village of Kłaczyna, in the commune of Dobromierz. It was taken into account and consulted with the local community, which responded positively to the proposed change.
   
   
2. Consultation and information meetings with village residents located on the line route
   
   The next stage of the process was the organization of 20 information and consultation meetings with property owners and commune residents along the line route held in October and November 2019. The meetings were preceded by the process of informing about the planned dates (posters in villages, information on the investment project website and on communes' websites). Additionally, each real property owner was invited to the meeting by registered mail.
   
   During the meetings, the detailed line route was presented, detailed information on the investment task was provided, and issues related to the establishment of utility easements were discussed.
   
   In March 2020, the investor sent letters to communes informing them of the completion of the information and consultation process along with a map of the line route. Implementation of the public consultation process with real property owners resulted in nearly 40 adjustments to the line route in response to the demands and expectations of the public regarding the investment project.
   
   Due to constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the process of acquiring title deeds to real properties along the line has been delayed until the fourth quarter of 2021. Separately, remote negotiations were conducted with two real property owners in the commune of Siekierczyn. They concerned the demolition of existing residential buildings located in the designed right-of-way of the power line. In November 2020, PSE's Board of Directors agreed to the negotiated terms of the agreements with the owners. In addition, in support of the communes during the epidemic outbreak, PSE donated personal protective equipment kits to the communes along the line route, supporting local governments in their COVID-19 efforts.
   
   
3. Media and information activities
   
   Information about the investment project has appeared in the following media: Echo24 TV, TVP3 Wrocław, Radio Wrocław and Biznes Alert and on the following websites: cire.pl, of the Lower Silesia Voivodship Office, swidnica24.pl, www.eluban.pl and at www.e-legnickie.pl.
   
   
4. WzMOCnij swoje otoczenie (EmPOWER Your Environment)
   
   Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne organized the third edition of the good-neighborly grant program "WzMOCnij swoje otoczenie" (EmPower Your Environment) addressed to all communes where the Mikułowa-Świebodzice line runs. Local governments, schools, libraries and non-governmental organizations from the Lower Silesia participated in this program edition and could submit projects in categories such as physical activity, safety, education, development of common public space, natural environment and health.

The Poland-Lithuania power connection ─ Harmony Link ─ jis an element of the strategic project of the European Union concerning synchronization of the Baltic countries with the power network of Western Europe. The project is implemented jointly by PSE and LitGrid (Lithuanian TSO). The connection will require laying two High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cables on the seabed and buried onshore. The connection point to the NPS in Poland will be the Żarnowiec substation (SE Żarnowiec) and the Darbenai substation in Lithuania. The cable connection is a modern technology that allows to reduce transmission losses, and owing to the marine connection the impact of the investment project on the environmentally sensitive areas in the north-eastern Poland will be limited.

1. Meetings with authorities and commune councils and institutions
   
   The consultation process with local governments regarding, among other things, the cable location in the onshore part began in May 2019. By June 2021, a total of 22 meetings were held with, among others, the mayor, Krokowa commune council, the governor of Puck, the governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, the heritage inspector of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, forest inspectorates, and other interested parties. Meetings with the heritage inspector of the Pomeranian Voivodeship were held to determine the cable line route through areas under conservation (Karwieńskie Błota). This area is listed as a historic site due to its unique rural layout - drainage ditches made by Dutch settlers in the 17th century.
   
   The authorities and institution representatives were informed about the assumptions and schedule of the investment project and submitted their comments. As a result, it was possible to select the optimum line route variant.
   
   The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the need to seek new channels of communication with stakeholders on-line. meeting organization tools have proved helpful. Some of the talks took place in this form, but the vast majority of them were held in the form of in-person meetings (taking into account the sanitary regime in place), which certainly facilitated communication.
   
   Talks with real property owners along the line route and residents of the commune of Krokowa are scheduled to begin in early 2021. Due to the ongoing epidemic emergency and the government-imposed restrictions on meetings and limitations on the number of participants, the PSEs adapted the meeting form to the existing situation. Instead of large open meetings for residents and real property owners along the planned cable line route, the focus has been on individual meetings as part of the information and consultation sessions. The purpose of the changes was to ensure the safety of both parties to the talks, while creating an environment where all the necessary information could be shared.
   
   During the meetings, comments were collected on the line routing. The role of the PSE representatives was to present arguments to justify the investment project, its formal and legal conditions and the concept of the line route variant. The next steps for gaining an agreement with real property owners expressed in a utility easement agreement were also outlined.
   
   PSE, as the investor, tried to take into account all feasible comments made by residents and owners. Adjustments were made to the line routing where possible.
   
   
2. Media and information activities
   
   In 2020, the website https://harmonylink.eu/ with information on investment projects and investors (TSOs in Poland and Lithuania), as well as a contact form and a special hotline number. The hotline is available daily on weekdays, allowing interested parties to obtain detailed information about the project. In addition, national and local newspapers feature press releases on the progress of the investment project. A brochure about Harmony Link was also prepared for the outreach actions. Folders were given to the commune representatives, and then also to residents and real property owners along the line route.

PSE is preparing to carry out projects related to power output from planned offshore wind farms (OWF) in the Baltic Sea. OWFs will be the main element of Poland's energy transformation. Their capacity was estimated in the draft Polish Energy Policy until 2040 at about 8 GW. That is nearly 20 percent of the nation's total installed capacity.

OWFs will be of great importance for the national power system, but require a significant strengthening of the transmission network in the Pomerania region. Therefore, PSE has prepared feasibility studies for a number of investment projects that will enable safe and efficient power output from wind turbines to every corner of Poland. These investment projects will also improve the energy security of the Pomeranian voivodeship and make it the largest supplier of renewable energy in the country.

1. Meetings with authorities and commune councils
   
   Launched in January 2020, the information and consultation process for investment projects related to power output from Offshore Wind Farms is conducted as dialog with local authorities and local communities. By mid-June 2021, 230 meetings were held, including 90 with representatives of communes and various institutions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some meetings were conducted as a teleconference. Whenever possible, however, PSE representatives met directly with village leaders, mayors, commune councils, and representatives of districts and offices covering the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
   
   Part of the planned lines will run through forest areas managed by the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Gdansk. The investor made sure that in the early stages of works on the target line vectors, ongoing arrangements were made at both regional and local levels, working with each of the 5 forest districts covered by the project range.
   
   
2. Meetings with residents
   
   Information activities addressed to residents were conducted primarily through information points, where representatives of the investor, including design engineers, answered individual questions and presented preferred routes of the planned lines. During 40 meetings with real property owners and residents of the villages covered by the investment projects, comments were collected on the presented routes, which after the completion of the consultation process will undergo a thorough analysis to determine the target vectors of the lines.
   
   
3. Media activitiese
   
   Information about the activities appeared in local, regional and national media. In June 2021, a press meeting was organized in Gdansk addressed to representatives of the editorial offices from the Pomeranian Voivodeship. At the meeting, the planned investment projects were presented and details of activities, including an information process addressed to residents, were given. Publications appeared, among others, in "Dziennik Bałtycki", on the websites: kartuzyinfo.pl and expresskaszubski.pl, on the Kaszebe radio and on TTM TV.
   
   
4. Outreach activities
   
   In order to inform the public, the website pomorzedajemoc.pl, a contact form and an information hotline were launched. Informational flyers and brochures describing the investment process were also printed.
   
   
5. WzMOCnij swoje otoczenie (EmPOWER Your Environment)
   
   Due to the large scale of the project in Pomerania on the one hand, and the fact that in many of these areas PSE is a new, as yet unknown investor, Pomeranian communes and counties have been invited to join the "WzMOCnij swoje otoczenie" (EmPOWER Your Environment) grant program in 2021. A total of 28 communes and counties with planned investment projects related to the Offshore Wind Farms and Harmony Link can apply for grants to implement community projects that will improve the quality of life and safety of local communities.
   
   Through the "WzMOCnij Swoje Otoczenie (EmPOWER Your Environment) program, PSE equips local governments and non-profit organizations with tools that help them fulfill an important public mission and advocate for residents.

The currently existing single-circuit overhead 220 kV Dunowo-Żydowo-Piła Krzewina power line, built in the 1960s and 1970s, is an important component of the national power system. The investment project concerns the construction of a new 400 kV overhead double-circuit power line on the Dunowo-Żydowo Kierzkowo-Piła Krzewina route. The new line will eventually replace the 220 kV line entirely. Its length is to be approx. 171 km (the Dunowo-Żydowo Kierzkowo section is 53.12 km, while the Żydowo Kierzkowo-Piła Krzewina section is 118.18 km in length). The investment project assumes connecting the network under construction to the retrofitted Dunowo substation, the newly built Żydowo Kierzkowo substation and the retrofitted Piła Krzewina substation.

The construction of the 400 kV Dunowo-Żydowo Kierzkowo-Piła Krzewina line is an element of the project of creating transmission system for the purpose of synchronization of Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian power systems (Harmony Link).

1. Meetings with authorities and commune councils
   
   The information and consultation process intended to residents and local commune governments along the designed line route began in 2019. In total, more than 80 meetings were organized, which provided an opportunity to learn about the proposed line route.
   
   The first meeting was addressed to local government authorities, mayors and village leaders as the hosts of the given area. The final stage was the presentation of the designed line route during the sessions of the municipal councils, the meetings of the competent commissions and the meetings with the groups of councilmen. Due to the epidemic situation, depending on the expectations of local authorities, meetings were held in both traditional and on-line formats.
   
   Investor representatives visited a total of 13 communes. The subject of talks with local governments included the purpose of the investment project, proposed line route, environmental impact, technical aspects and benefits. Working contacts - face-to-face, by phone and correspondence - are continued throughout the investment project duration as needed.
   
   Meetings with representatives of the State Forests were an important part of the consultation. The new line route concept assumes that approximately 30 percent of its length will run through areas under the management of the State Forests. The route design has been presented to the Regional Directorates of State Forests in Piła and Szczecinek, as well as to the heads of all forest districts the areas of which are to be crossed by the line. The comments collected during the meetings were taken into consideration by the line design engineers.
   
   
2. Meetings with real property owners and residents
   
   As part of the activities conducted in 2021, approximately 20 meetings were held with real property owners along the planned line route and commune residents. Epidemic restrictions prevented meetings in a larger group. For this reason, the consultations took the form of many hours of duty meetings in individual villages. PSE employees were present at the site to provide information on all aspects of the project and design engineers presented the planned line route.
   
   
3. Media activities
   
   Information about the investment project appeared in local printed media, on social media, and on individual commune websites.