Katowice is undergoing a major decarbonisation process. Once defined primarily by coal mining and heavy industry, the city is increasingly positioning itself as a green, technology-driven business centre. According to a ranking by Oxford Economics and Eurostat, Katowice is among the 20 fastest-growing cities in Europe.
City representatives emphasise that European Union funding is playing a key role in the transition, including support for the New Technology District — the Katowice Gaming and Technology Hub.
“Katowice does not simply want to decarbonise — it has to. A friendly city is a green city, with clean air, plenty of greenery, thermal modernisation projects and renewable energy installations such as photovoltaics. We are showing that a fair transformation is possible: from a mining and steel city to a city of new technologies, green development and major business. This is how Katowice is developing,” Jarosław Makowski, Deputy Mayor of Katowice, tells Newseria.
In the ranking of Europe’s 20 fastest-growing cities between 2010 and 2025, prepared by Oxford Economics and Eurostat, ten Polish cities were included. Wrocław ranked highest, in third place, while Katowice took 15th position.
“This is the best proof that, first, we have chosen the right path, and second, that this path is linked to the green transformation,” the Deputy Mayor says.
In 2023, the Katowice City Council adopted the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan for the City of Katowice, known as SECAP. The strategy sets out both short- and long-term measures aimed at supporting sustainable development and strengthening the city’s resilience to climate change.
“As a city, we signed the SECAP document. We therefore believe that development must be sustainable. It contains 52 objectives, and since 2023 we have been implementing related projects. These include replacing transport with low-emission vehicles, thermal modernisation, greening the city, installing photovoltaics and building retention reservoirs. All of this is intended to make the city more resilient to climate change,” Makowski explains.
One of the key SECAP targets is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by 2030 compared with 2012 levels. Katowice also aims to strengthen its resilience to extreme weather events, including flooding, droughts, strong winds and temperature-related risks. Another priority is reducing vulnerability to the negative effects of air pollution.
“Residents expect us to ensure safety and resilience during crises such as droughts, storms or floods. All green and environmentally focused measures serve two purposes: building the city’s resilience and improving the safety of our residents,” Makowski says.
The total cost of implementing all measures under the Katowice Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan by 2030 is estimated at PLN 6.82 billion. The city’s own measures are expected to account for PLN 998.6 million of that amount.
“EU funds are an important element of the energy transition and the just transition of both Katowice and the Silesian Voivodeship. The Silesian region is covered by a special EUR 2.2 billion fund because it is a post-mining and post-industrial region. These funds are intended to transform former mining and steelmaking areas and give them a new purpose,” Makowski says.
Under the Just Transition Fund, the Silesian Voivodeship has received more than EUR 2.2 billion for projects aimed at mitigating the social and economic effects of the energy transition. The funding can support initiatives in areas such as digitalisation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate adaptation, biodiversity and sustainable transport.
The programme also provides funding for social services, education, culture, tourism, healthcare, the labour market, regional development, revitalisation and broader regional transformation.
One of Katowice’s flagship projects is the New Technology District — the Katowice Gaming and Technology Hub, located on the site of the former Wieczorek coal mine in the Nikiszowiec district.
“Our New Technology District — the Katowice Gaming and Technology Hub — is located on the site of the former Wieczorek mine. The project is worth PLN 1 billion, and we have already received PLN 402 million in European funding. We will seek additional support,” Makowski says.
“This shows two things. First, we are protecting industrial heritage, in this case the former Wieczorek mine. Second, the former mining site will not become wasteland. Instead, it will become a New Technology District dedicated to new industries, including gaming.”
On 22 April this year, during the European Economic Congress in Katowice, the project’s marketing name and logo were unveiled. The development will operate under the name Shaft K. It is intended to become a space dedicated to future technologies, including artificial intelligence, secure digital solutions, space technologies and a broad range of creative industries.
Funding from Poland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan is also supporting the city’s transport transformation.
“Funds from the National Recovery Plan are also important for us. They mainly concern replacing combustion-engine buses with electric vehicles. This year we have already received 15 new buses, and another 15 are expected by the end of April. The point is to replace transport based on burning fuel, which worsens air quality, with low-emission transport. These are exactly the kinds of projects supported by National Recovery Plan funding,” Makowski explains.
The total cost of 30 new electric buses is close to PLN 117 million. Nearly PLN 78.3 million comes from funding provided by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management under Poland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Katowice has also made progress in improving air quality. In 2019, the city had approximately 25,000 old coal-fired household boilers, commonly known in Poland as “smokers” or kopciuchy. Today, the city estimates that around 12,000 remain.
“Air quality in Silesia has definitely improved. In 2019, we had around 25,000 old coal boilers in the city. Today, we estimate that there are about 12,000. That is still 12,000 too many, but air quality in Katowice is already genuinely good. In the most difficult period of the year, lasting from several to a dozen days, there used to be far more severe pollution episodes. This shows that the measures are improving the quality of our air, although progress has slowed somewhat recently,” Makowski says.
He explains that the slowdown is linked to abuses identified during the implementation of the Clean Air programme. Following public consultations, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management is expected to present proposed changes to the scheme.
“The Clean Air programme is undergoing transformation. As a result, the programme to replace old heating sources, or so-called kopciuchy, with district heating has slowed down, but it is now approaching a successful conclusion. We hope that the 12,000 old coal boilers still remaining in Katowice will be replaced by 2030, allowing us to eliminate dirty sources of emissions,” Makowski concludes.
