The Wierzchowice underground gas store is the largest such facility in Poland. It was built on the site of a former natural gas depot, in the municipalities of Melic and Krosnes in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. In the summer, natural gas is injected into the reservoir, and in the winter it is collected and directed to the needs of homes and industry.
As a result of the expansion, the operating capacity of UGS Wierzchowice will increase by 800 million cubic metres. – From the current 1.3 billion cubic meters up to 2.1 billion cubic meters. This means increasing the capacity of the national storage system by up to a quarter. And even more, by as much as a third – to 19.2 million cubic meters. Daily – The gas injection force in this installation will increase, and the reception force will increase by up to 66 percent. – up to 24 million cubic meters per day. This will translate into greater installation flexibility and the ability to respond quickly to a changing market situation. The investment is scheduled to be completed in early 2025 and 2026.
Expansion of the warehouse in Wierchowice
The expansion will consist of drilling three wells that will enable the injection and collection of gas from storage facilities and compressors. He has already started digging the first hole. The investment is carried out using one of the two mobile drilling rigs in Poland. The second device of this type is involved in the construction of geothermal wells in Budhalli. The advantage of the device is the ability to carry out subsequent drilling without the need to disassemble the installation. The drilling rig can move independently between successive places. For comparison, it takes a month to assemble and disassemble a classic installation. In the case of the walking platform, it takes only one day to move it from one well to another. It will take about a year to drill all the wells in Wierzchowice.
The Bentec device allows drilling to a depth of up to 7 kilometers into the ground. The device is placed in a special concrete site, and wells will be drilled at a distance of 18 meters.
Gas depot in Wierzchowice
Orlen and gas storage facilities
The company decided to expand the warehouse in Wierzchowice in April 2022. He was dictated by the energy crisis and the situation related to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Underground energy storage facilities have become a key component of the country’s energy security system at a time when there is a threat of a shortage of raw material supplies from abroad. Its operation makes it possible to offset seasonal fluctuations in gas demand, which result from an increase in energy demand during the heating season and a decrease in demand in the summer. Thanks to this, the profile of deliveries to the system is distributed more evenly throughout the year.
We are investing to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to Polish families and businessmen. Thanks to the expansion of the storage facility in Verchkowice, the total capacity of the domestic gas storage facilities will increase by up to 25 percent. It will exceed 4 billion cubic meters. This equates to what all households in Poland consume for about 10 months. With such a reserve, we will be better prepared in the event of a possible interruption in supplies from abroad or a sharp increase in demand during severe frosts. Therefore, the expansion of the warehouses is in line with our strategic goal of strengthening the energy security of the country, says Daniel Opajtec, Orlin President.
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ORLEN has seven underground methane storage facilities with a total capacity of about 3.3 billion cubic meters. Five underground gas storage facilities: Wierzchowice, Strachocina, Husów, Swarzów and Brzeźnica are deposit storage facilities located in depleted natural gas and crude oil deposits. Two, in Kusakovo and Mogilno, are cave deposits located in salt caves, that is, in empty spaces created in salt deposits as a result of salt leaching.
Orlin is currently aiming to fill its entire storage capacity in Poland before the heating season begins. Currently, the underground bunkers are about 95 percent full.
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