Polish state-owned energy company PGE announced on Thursday (26 October) that its subsidiary PGE Ekoserwis has signed a letter of intent with Krakow-based Institute of Mineral Raw Materials and Energy Management of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Instytut Gospodarki Surowcami Mineralnymi i Energią Polskiej Akademii Nauk – PAN) regarding cooperation in circular economy.
The cooperation foresees joint research projects that would contribute to greater use of combustion by-products generated in the combustion of solid fuels, such as coal in various sectors of the economy.
“The PGE Group is constantly increasing its involvement in the area of research on anthropogenic raw materials, as well as in the field of research and development projects related to energy transformation, clean environment and circular economy. Cooperation with the Polish Academy of Sciences will expand the research offer of both institutions and contribute to increasing the use in the economy of materials created on the basis of combustion by-products and coal mining by-products,” said Lech Sekyra, president of the management board of PGE Ekoserwis.
More broadly, both sides expect to undertake research on the effective use of natural resources, the optimal use of materials from landfills and heaps, as well as the development of solutions aimed at preventing waste generation and storage.
“The aim of the project is also to support the development of modern energy, in particular renewable energy sources and the process of obtaining various raw materials as part of the concept of a circular economy,” Mr Sekyra added.
The agreement also foresees joint submission of scientific publications or patents in the event of discovering an innovative solution, as well as joint promotion of issues related to the circular economy.
In December last year, PGE Ekoserwis opened its Centre for Research and Development of the Circular Economy, which develops and implements solutions that recover valuable raw materials from depleted renewables installations.
