The city of Biłgoraj, Poland, has operationalized a heat pump system that extracts thermal energy from treated wastewater. Developed by Metrolog under a design-and-build contract with an investment exceeding 12 million PLN, the installation currently supplies approximately 20% of the local heating network’s energy requirements.
The system utilizes a water-to-water circuit positioned at the outlet of wastewater treatment plants. Unlike intermittent sources such as wind or solar, the treated effluent provides a stable year-round temperature, ensuring consistent heat pump performance. To reduce reliance on the external electrical grid, the facility is integrated with a photovoltaic system with a capacity of nearly 190 kWh. The project was funded via the Polish Plan state fund.
The infrastructure provides maximum substitution of fossil-fuel-based boilers during shoulder seasons, where it nearly entirely replaces traditional heating for domestic hot water production. During winter peaks, the system functions as a supplementary load reducer, increasing the overall energy efficiency of the municipal network to meet European heating standards.
This implementation follows a similar operational model deployed by Metrolog in 2020 in Szlachecin for Veolia Energia Poznań. In that instance, thermal energy from Aquanet wastewater was integrated with gas cogeneration into a single circuit with a total thermal capacity of 2.9 MW, reducing the operational load on the coal-fired power plant in Belechow.
Both the Biłgoraj and Szlachecin facilities received the “Construction of the Year” (Budowa Roku) award from the Polish Association of Civil Engineers and Technicians and the Ministry of Development and Technology. According to Michał Cholewa, Development and Technology Director at Metrolog, the operational value lies in the physical integration of water, heat, and energy infrastructure to reduce hydrocarbon dependency within local utility networks.
Metrolog Sp. z o. o., established in 1991, specializes in thermal energy systems and cogeneration and is part of the Elevion Group, which operates decarbonization and energy efficiency projects across 13 European markets.
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