Track system of Jaworzno III power plant in service
The agreement for the execution of the investment with a value of PLN 367.28 million excl. VAT was concluded on 7 December 2017. The order included the implementation of the design together with complete execution, commissioning, trial run and hand-over to operation of the track system. The entire investment is part of the project under the name: “Construction of new coal technology capacities in Nowe Jaworzno TAURON Group Sp. z o.o. – Construction of a 910 MW supercritical power unit in Nowe Jaworzno Grupa TAURON Sp. z o.o.”
– It was our first such a large railway contract acquired from out of the PKP PLK Group, as well as an important step towards sales diversification – said Grzegorz Grabowski, President of Torpol – We have learned a lot of new experiences from this implementation, which will certainly serve us in subsequent contracts for owners of extended railway sidings. We have a team of employees who have had the opportunity for the last two years to learn the specifics of working for another ordering party. An important challenge on this project was also the structure of its financing, which required a large commitment of funds by the contractor. Due to very good cooperation with BGK S.A. Bank and our technological and cost-effective management, we have completed this contract with full success. In order to maintain financial stability in this period, it was extremely important to obtain financing for two other, newly acquired projects, which did not envisage advance payments, from one of our dominant shareholders – Towarzystwo Finansowe Silesia Sp. z o.o. – a shareholder of Torpol since the Company entered the stock exchange in 2014. As a long-term investor, TF Silesia is interested in the development and growth of the Company’s value, hence the very good cooperation in financing new investment projects.
As part of the completed investment, over 20 km of the classic track with drainage was built on wooden sleepers and 64 turnouts and 168 switch drives were built. In order to carry out these works, new railway embankments were made in the amount of almost 1.2 million tons, which required the delivery of about 1 million tons of aggregates in just six months. The pace of works on the construction of the embankments was dictated by the necessity to enable coal supplies to the new power unit. Two control stations were also built on site, as well as a modern computerized railway traffic control system (RTC) covering the new track system, and the existing Jaworzno II Power Plant, together with Jaworzno III Power Plant as well as the posts connected with this system. Two new engineering structures were built – a culvert and a bridge over the Wąwolnica River. The 110 kV line, which collided with the designed track system, was also modernised. In addition, the road system was reconstructed, new teletechnical and electrical equipment, as well as 2 static-dynamic scales and 2 wagon pullers were built.
The planned result of the investment is to increase the efficiency of the supply of raw materials for energy production and export of combustion by-products by rail – the new track connecting the Jaworzno III power plant block with the Sobieski Mining Plant should shorten the length of coal transport needed to power the block, which is estimated to consume about 2.5 million tons of coal annually.
