At the 3rd Lower Silesian Flood Protection Forum in Jelenia Góra, TAURON presented a proposal to expand the scope of ongoing renovation work at the Pilchowice dam in Poland. The proposed extension would increase the reservoir’s capacity by approximately 30%, enhancing the dam’s role in regional flood control.
TAURON highlighted challenges in financing hydrotechnical infrastructure, particularly for privately owned dams that serve strategic flood protection functions. Current regulations place full financial responsibility for maintenance, modernization, and safety on facility owners. Non-public owners are also excluded from national and EU funding dedicated to flood protection, limiting access to public financing mechanisms.
The ongoing renovation of the Pilchowice dam involves PLN 100m (US$27m) in investments for structural modernization. TAURON is considering an additional PLN 50m (US$13.5m) in works required to increase flood storage capacity, contingent on securing external funding from institutions responsible for hydrological safety.
TAURON will submit an application for support to Wody Polskie (State Water Management Company Polish Waters), including full technical documentation, to seek funding in the 2026 State Budget. Local government officials from Jelenia Góra and Wleń are organising a letter of support for the investment.
“Flood protection requires partnership between the public and private sectors. In the face of accelerating climate change, we need cooperation across departmental lines – based on strategy and immediate action. As the entity managing the facility, we have identified a specific solution that will increase the dam’s capacity, significantly enhancing its role in Lower Silesia’s flood protection system. This is a tangible investment in the country’s resilience and the safety of its citizens,” saids Grzegorz Lot, CEO of TAURON Polska Energia.
Regardless of the outcome of funding efforts, the company will execute the basic renovation variant.
“TAURON has taken many extraordinary steps in this matter. We took it upon ourselves to prepare documentation for the extended variant of the dam’s work, including its reconstruction, and when issuing the tender for the dam’s renovation, we immediately asked about both variants. This way, if funds for the extended variant are found, there will be no need to announce another tender,” said Jacek Bieńkowski, Investment Director at TAURON Ekoenergia.
During the forum, TAURON also presented the concept of establishing a public special purpose vehicle to manage the Lubachów dam, which primarily serves flood protection rather than energy generation. Additionally, the company proposed creating a Pilot Financing Program for the Modernisation of Strategic Flood Infrastructure, focused on the dams in Leśna and Złotniki.
