In the second half of December 2010 the European Commission officially confirmed a grant admission for the Clean Coal Technologies Center project that had already begun in Katowice and Zabrze. The EU contribution exceeds EUR 41 million.
The Center, being built at the expense of nearly PLN 162 million (EUR 45 million), is the largest investment project in the field of research infrastructure in the region and is mainly financed by the EU funds. It is supposed to be the leading European research center, new processes and technologies in the area of clean coal technologies will be developed. The partners of the projects are the Central Mining Institute (GIG) and the Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal in Zabrze.
Last Wednesday, the Procedure Simulation Center, where experimental coal gasification processes will be prepared and analyzed, was opened in Zabrze. This is the first step of the creation of the Clean Coal Technologies Center that the Zabrze Institute is building jointly with the GIG. At present a new building is being created for the Clean Coal Technologies Center in Katowice, where very modern laboratories will be built. The results of experiments will also be analyzed there.
It is estimated that in the Center of Clean Coal Technologies about 60 new specialist jobs will have been created by the end of 2013. Center is to cooperate with scientists from many countries around the world. It will also train staff from other academic centers, students and industry representatives.
As part of the project the Clean Coal Technologies Center Experimental, “Barbara” Mine in Mikołów near Katowice, that belongs to the GIG will gain almost half a kilometer of new underground excavations, where experiments and research will be carried out. Independently, the innovative international experimental installation, being designed for “Barbara”, is intended for technology development of coal and biomass gasification for industrial applications.
source: washington.trade.gov.pl