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EDF Polska inaugurated today its R&D centre specialised in coal and biomass called "POLe R&D", which will be located in Cracow. Relying on Poland's unique expertise in fossil-fired technologies, the centre will aim at investigating innovative solutions in the fields of clean coal technologies and biomass firing, in order to improve EDF plants' efficiency, while reducing their environmental impact, operating and maintenance costs.

The team of 13 specialists of EDF Polska R&D, coming from EDF Polska companies and from the scientific world, will investigate in four main fields:

• Firing and co-firing of biomass
• Reduction of pollutant emissions (NOx, SO2, CO2 and others)
• Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
• Elaboration of new ways for combustion process by products management

As an example, one of the R&D projects led by EDF Polska called ECOALBOILER, will aim at improving operational efficiency of boilers and reducing their maintenance costs. Furthermore, specific studies will be conducted to reduce their NOx emissions with limitation of Low-NOx corrosion and to solve the problems caused by high biomass content in the co-firing process.

The Cracow R&D centre will work in close cooperation with other entities of EDF Group and renowned Polish universities through a cooperation platform:

• EDF group's sister R&D department centres: in France (Chatou, Clamart and Renardières), United Kingdom, Germany (Karlsruhe) and China (Beijing)
• EDF Polska Companies: Rybnik Power Plant, CHP Kraków and Zielona Góra, Cergia, CHP Kogeneracja, CHP Wybrzeże and PEC Tarnobrzeg
• Polish universities: Wroclaw University of Technology, Silesian University of Technology, Cracow University of Technology, AGH-University of Science and Technology, Gdańsk University of Technology and University of Zielona Gora

Philippe Castanet, Chief Executive Officer of EDF Polska, said: "we are delighted by the establishment of EDF's Cracow R&D centre, which illustrates the major role played by EDF Polska companies in the field of fossil-fired energy generation and biomass. The creation of this department is a demonstration of our Group's ambition to make of Poland EDF's regional development platform in Central and Eastern Europe".

The Cracow R&D centre is in line with the Group's objective to create world expertise centres involved in the elaboration and the implementation of new and innovative technologies. It is the fifth R&D Centre to be opened in the world, along with France, Germany, United Kingdom and China. Thanks to its unique Polish expertise in fossil-fired technologies, the Cracow R&D centre will enable to deliver wide expert support to the EDF Polish companies and to the whole EDF Group.
The creation of this centre of expertise will support EDF Group's recent decision to build a highly efficient 900 MW supercritical coal-fired power plant in Rybnik for € 1.8 billion.

The EDF Group has had a presence in Poland for the last 14 years and is the country's biggest foreign investor and energy producer, with an installed power capacity of more than 3 GW. EDF group owns 7 companies in Poland and its activities in the country represent 10% of the electricity market and 15% of district heating in Poland.