Bytom Coking Plant Begins Heat‑Recovery Pilot to Warm City Homes

The Bytom coking plant (Koksownia Bytom) in Poland has started testing a system that captures waste heat from its coke‑making process. Excess coke‑derived gas is burned in a controlled manner, and the generated heat is transferred via a heat‑exchange unit into the municipal heating network, supplying hot water and space heating to districts such as Karb, Miechowice, Śródmieście, Szombierek, Łagiewnik and Rozbark.

The plant, now owned by Genco Energetika after a recent restructuring, also plans to install new gas‑transfer equipment to curb visible emissions, aiming to end the characteristic dark plume that gave it the nickname “factory of clouds.” The modernization seeks to diversify Bytom’s heat sources, preserve jobs, and eventually create a coke‑industry museum.