The Zabrze Combined Heat and Power Plant will soon pass into the hands of the Arche Group. The company was the only participant in the tender organised by the Zabrze City Hall, so it is already clear that the developer will become the owner of the monument. Although the formalities related to the transfer of ownership are still ongoing, their finalisation is a matter of time. The investor announces that the building will be transformed into a space with cultural, educational and tourist functions.
Elektrociepłownia Zabrze is the next Arche project
The Zabrze monument is another post-industrial building in Upper Silesia, which has a chance for a new life thanks to the activities of the Arche Group. Earlier, the company started cleaning up and securing the Szombierki CHP plant in Bytom. In the case of the Zabrze facility, the investor plans to preserve its authentic, very unique character, while adapting it to modern functions. One of the greatest assets of the complex is its almost complete historical equipment, which is to be exposed during the renovation.
Investment as the city’s new tourist offer
According to city representatives, the rebuilt thermal power plant will house museum, educational and cultural spaces, as well as catering and a hotel. The Zabrze authorities point out that the project fits perfectly with the existing tourist infrastructure, which includes, among others, the Guido Mine and the Królowa Luiza Adit. Both of these facilities are located near the thermal power plant and are part of the Coal Mining Museum.
Combined Heat and Power Plant Zabrze with a rich history
The history of the Zabrze Combined Heat and Power Plant began at the end of the 19th century. The Berlin-based company AEG was responsible for the construction of the plant. The location was chosen due to its proximity to the mines, which supplied the raw material for power generation. In 1900, the plant passed into the hands of the Schlesische Elektrizitäts und Gas Aktien Gesellschaft. The increasing demand for energy led to rapid expansion of the complex. During the Second World War, the power station did not stop working. After 1945, the facility became the property of the state, which then established the Elektrownia Zabrze company. During the post-war reconstruction, turbines from the Czech company Škoda, among others, were installed here and are still in place.
Recent history of the plant
In the following decades, the power plant continued to be successively modernised. In the 1980s, it was transformed into a combined heat and power plant, and in 1993 into a sole shareholder joint stock company of the State Treasury under the name Elektrociepłownia Zabrze S.A. In 2011, a majority stake was acquired by Fortum Power and Heat Polska. The transaction also included Zespół Elektrociepłowni Bytom, with a total purchase value of more than PLN 82 million. In 2018, a new CHP plant located to the north of the existing one was commissioned. The new plant is the only one in the country to use hard coal and RDF, a fuel derived from waste.
Combined heat and power plant Zabrze sold for PLN 7.4 million
Faced with inefficiencies and outdated technologies, the old CHP plant ceased operations in 2019. Three years later, it was taken over by the City of Zabrze, which decided to sell the complex by tender. The winner was the Arche Group, which made a bid of PLN 7.4 million. The company successfully operates in the hotel and property development sector, and one of its major areas of activity is the renovation of historic buildings. In the case of the investment in Zabrze, the investor promises limited interference in the age-old substance of the building, which will make it possible to preserve the character of the monument and optimise the costs associated with its modernisation.
Arche also declares that it will soon present detailed plans related to the future development of the Zabrze Combined Heat and Power Plant.
Source: Arche Group, malanowicz.eu, money.eu
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