Hydro Sanok has a new CEO. A former deputy minister will lead the municipal company.

• Anna Kornecka is a valued expert in green energy, ESG, and cooperation with local governments. In 2020-2021, she served as Deputy Minister of Development, Labor, and Technology.
• Among the most important tasks facing the new president of Hydro Sanok will be managing the city's decarbonization process.
• This project is intended to replace traditional coal-fired boilers with modern technologies using renewable energy sources (RES), which will help curb the rising costs of heat generation.

Anna Kornecka is a respected expert in green energy, ESG, and cooperation with local governments. From 2020 to 2021, she served as Deputy Minister of Development, Labor, and Technology. As Deputy Minister of Development, Labor, and Technology, she was responsible for construction and housing, planning, spatial development, and renewable energy. She was also the president of the board of the ESG Impact Network association and the originator and co-author of the "Decalogue of the Polish Energy Transition."

In her work in this area, she has promoted issues such as community energy, renewable energy sources, and sustainable development. She is a legal advisor by profession, and as an author of books and publications, she has contributed to raising awareness of local government and energy issues. For many years, she ran her own law firm, advising businesses and local governments. She is also an active lecturer at the Universities of Economics in Kraków and Katowice, as well as the University of Wrocław. Her achievements were recognized by the Minister of Climate and Environment, who awarded her the Honorary Badge of Merit for Environmental Protection and Climate Protection.

He will use his previous experience in working for Sanok.

- It's a great honor, but also a big challenge - says Anna Kornecka, who has just become the new president of the municipal company Hydro Sanok, about her new position.

Let us recall that previously (from December 2024) the company was headed by Agnieszka Leszczyńska, president of Sanockie Przedsiębiorstwo Gospodarki Komunalnej.

Among the most important tasks facing Anna Kornecka will be managing the decarbonization process in Sanok , i.e. implementing a new technology for obtaining energy and heat from renewable energy sources (RES) for the city, which will replace the existing, high-emission coal-based solutions and contribute to the stabilization of heat prices.

My responsibilities include supervising the decarbonization process in Sanok, which, especially today, given the uncertainty surrounding the development of onshore wind energy, is a fundamental challenge for the energy transformation of Polish local governments.

– admits Anna Kornecka.

This project involves electrifying the district heating system in Sanok. Based on a feasibility study, the estimated cost is PLN 726 million, which will be financed entirely from private investments, subsidies, and grants. This project aims to replace traditional coal-fired boilers with modern technologies utilizing renewable energy sources (RES), thus stemming the rising costs of heat generation.

"This will allow residents to benefit from emission-free and cost-effective heating, something that has been impossible until now due to fluctuating energy prices (coal, gas, and biomass). A key element of the project is the participation of a private investor, which will enable the project to be implemented without burdening the municipal budget, which (like many other local governments) is in a difficult financial situation," the company's press release reads.

The innovative nature of the Sanok district heating decarbonization project lies not only in electrifying the generation source itself, but also in securing the costs of the electricity used in this process. This is being achieved by building its own renewable energy sources, supported by various forms of energy storage, both thermal and electrical. This project is expected to significantly reduce the burden on the city budget, which is forced to purchase CO₂ emission allowances.

To familiarize local government officials – including Sanok councillors – with the practical functioning of the discussed technology, a study visit will be organised to Gaj Oławski in Lower Silesia, where it has been successfully serving one of the region's key companies for several years.

"Having direct contact with a working installation provides a completely different experience than theoretical discussions. During the visit, participants will be able to see firsthand the benefits it brings to the industrial plant operating there. While the renewable energy installation in Gaj Oławski, integrated with an electrolyzer and energy storage, differs from the one planned in Sanok, the basic principle of its operation—the use of the plant's own renewable electricity—remains identical," notes Anna Kornecka.

The visit is scheduled for August 28.