Poland — A pre-World War II apartment house collapsed Saturday in southwestern Poland
Scores of firefighters with dogs were searching the rubble of the building in the town of Swiebodzice
He said the collapse of two floors of the three-floor building might have been caused by a gas explosion
Regional governor Pawel Hreniak said the search-and-rescue operation was expected to continue through Sunday
firefighters looking for one more missing person said there were no sounds yet coming from the building's bricks and broken wood
Prime Minister Beata Szydlo was heading to the site
420 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Warsaw
to be with the victims and the rescue workers
said the pre-World War II building was recently renovated and had been in good technical condition
The injured were taken to hospitals in Swiebodzice and in Wroclaw
identified only by her first name Stanislawa
told TVN24 that she was "miraculously saved."
"I was in the kitchen and suddenly it was dark and full of debris and some broken wooden planks," she said from her hospital bed in Swiebodzice
"I got on top of those planks and started calling 'Help
Help!' Two firefighters came and pulled me out by the arm."
She said her husband was resting on the bed at the time of the collapse
"I don't know what has happened to him," she said
Poland (AP) — A pre-World War II apartment house collapsed Saturday in southwestern Poland
authorities said.Scores of firefighters with dogs were searching the rubble of the building in the town of Swiebodzice (Shvyeh-'boh-tchi-tseh)
He said the collapse of two floors of the three-floor building might have been caused by a gas explosion.Regional governor Pawel Hreniak said the search-and-rescue operation was expected to continue through Sunday.He confirmed five fatalities
firefighters looking for one more missing person said there were no sounds yet coming from the building's bricks and broken wood.Prime Minister Beata Szydlo was heading to the site
to be with the victims and the rescue workers.The governor of Swiebodzice
said the pre-World War II building was recently renovated and had been in good technical condition.The injured were taken to hospitals in Swiebodzice and in Wroclaw
told TVN24 that she was "miraculously saved.""I was in the kitchen and suddenly it was dark and full of debris and some broken wooden planks," she said from her hospital bed in Swiebodzice
Help!' Two firefighters came and pulled me out by the arm."She said her husband was resting on the bed at the time of the collapse."I don't know what has happened to him," she said
Poland and Ukraine were selected to host the 2012 Union of European Football Association (UEFA) European football championship
To ensure failure-free power supply from the transmission system and distribution network
embarked on a series of major projects in the Polish host cities
Applications were submitted to construct 400-kV overhead line circuits and substations for the Wroclaw and Poznan areas of the country
Legislation was introduced to ensure the planning applications submitted by PSE for the construction of the new 400-kV circuits were processed with minimal delay
This effectively gave the TSO approval to construct a series of major 400-kV projects
Recognizing the importance of these projects
PSE spared no effort to ensure all projects were implemented in accordance with the highest applicable investment
in compliance with legal and environmental standards and
The TSO’s tasks included ensuring the reliability of electricity supply to all regions of Poland by creating a modern power supply infrastructure
The group of investment projects aimed at extending the power supply system in the Wroclaw area included construction of a 400/110-kV Pasikurowice-Wroclaw line
which used a 400/110-kV line to connect the Pasikurowice substation with the 400/110-kV Wroclaw substation
enhanced the reliability of power supply for the Wroclaw area and improved voltage conditions in the southwestern part of the Polish power supply system
This was a pioneering project in Poland as it was the first 400-kV overhead line for which PSE used tubular pole structures within most substations
for each substation to meet international standards requirements
To minimize the impact of the line through forested areas
the so-called over-forest line was routed over the existing tree stands to avoid tree clearance
This required using 108-m (354-ft)-tall lattice towers in locations where the line passes over a designated natural habitat with 1-km (3,281-ft) spans
the line route directed through the Odrzanski broad-leaved forest and broad-leaved forests in the Odra Valley was moved outside forest and tree-covered areas so as to avoid any interference with protected species habitats
This overhead line was constructed by the consortium of PBE ELBUD Warszawa Sp
was constructed a considerable distance from inhabited areas
It reinforces the power supply for the Wroclaw region as it is the first 400-kV substation on the southern side of Wroclaw
This substation was constructed from February 2008 to December 2011 and included of a 400-kV overhead switching station with tubular bus bars
The substation is equipped with two 400/110-kV
330-MVA autotransformers and two 110-kV bays
The remainder of the substation infrastructure is designed for maintenance-free operation
The 400/110-kV Pasikurowice-Wroclaw transmission line combined with this substation has improved the Lower Silesia region’s energy security and extended the possibility of exporting and transmitting energy to Western Europe
it also mitigates the risk of not meeting the contractual power supply obligations for new industrial customers located in the Lower Silesia region and enhancing the reliability of supplying the regional 110-kV distribution line
The Wroclaw substation was constructed by ZWSE Rzeszow Sp
The southern side of the region was supplied only by the 220-kV Swiebodzice-Klecina line
This single-track line that supplied power from the Turow power plant was no longer able to transmit sufficient power to the southern districts of Wroclaw and the intensively developing communes located near Wroclaw
it was not able to provide sufficient amounts of power to the sports facilities in the southern and southwestern parts of the city that were being prepared for EURO 2012
relatively frequent failures occurred on the 220-kV Swiebodzice–Klecina line
construction of the new 400-kV Swiebodzice-Wroclaw power line was an urgent project
The overhead Swiebodzice-Wroclaw line is routed in close proximity to the existing 220-kV Swiebodzice-Klecina line
A major section of the line is routed through agricultural areas
away from existing residential buildings and forested areas located between Krysztalowice and Olbrachtowice
The Swiebodzice-Wroclaw transmission line was constructed on lattice towers with a 3 × 350-sq mm (3 × 0.54-sq inch) conductor bundle
the existing 40-year-old 220-kV Swiebodzice-Klecina transmission line will be demolished
The new line was constructed by a consortium including ZWSE Rzeszow Sp
The existing 220/110-kV Swiebodzice substation was commissioned more than 30 years ago and is one of the few substations in southwestern Poland
by the western boundary of the town of Swiebodzice
The Swiebodzice substation was extended with a 400-kV switching station to connect it with the 400-kV line from the Wroclaw substation and taking into account the planned modernization and uprating to 400 kV of the lines routed from the Mikulowa
The scope of the extension works included construction of a new switching station and modernization of the currently operating 220-kV switching station
The area occupied by the new 400-kV switching station is approximately 7.5 hectares (18.5 acres)
To provide the area required for the switching station
a section of the existing 220-kV line routed toward Zabkowice was replaced by underground cable
The 400/220/110-kV Swiebodzice substation was constructed by PBE ELBUD Warszawa Sp
The Ostrow-Plewiska transmission line is 145 km (90 miles) long and entirely routed through the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship area
The line route was subject to long-term studies so as to optimize it for minimum interference with the infrastructure of existing towns in the vicinity
The line was built in two sections: the first section
intersects with the 220-kV Konin-Plewiska circuit; and the second section
consists of a dual-circuit 400-kV line and dual-voltage 220-kV and110-kV line from Kromolice to Plewiska
As a result of the poor condition of the 220-kV line between Konin and Plewiska
which had been in service for almost 50 years
the existing 220-kV towers were replaced with structures that could support four circuits
the two 220-kV circuits strung below two 400-kV circuits
This innovative solution released 260 hectares (643 acres) of valuable suburban land in the Poznan district
This new transmission line has made a substantial impact on limiting electromagnetic fields and minimizing the level of environmental interference
This transmission line was constructed by BE SELPOL S.A
(Kromolice-Plewiska section) and Eltel Networks Olsztyn S.A
This transmission interconnector is a strategically important part of the Polish commitment to an international agreement to connect its power system to the European Union for the Coordination of Transmission of Electricity (ENSTO-E) system
which has the largest generating capacity in Poland
The overhead double-circuit 400-kV Kromolice-Patnow transmission line is an extension of the four-circuit 400/220/110-kV Plewiska-Ostrow line
It was constructed using the right-of-way secured for the 220-kV Plewiska-Konin line built in 1958
With the new 76-km (47-mile) transmission line
it is now possible to transmit power from the Patnow Power Plant
It also enhances the reliability of the national power system operation as well as power supply for the Poznan area
and improves the energy balance of the Wielkopolska region
This transmission line also has made possible a new connection between individual circuits in the Wielkopolska region with the national power supply system
The new connections also adjust the network for power transfer
the decision to construct this transmission line will ensure the power failures experienced during the summer and winter of 2006 and 2007 (a result of the inadequacy of the infrastructure of the Poznan transmission system) will not be repeated
The next stage of reinforcement will include connections from the Patnow switching station routed to the east and north as well as international connections
including the connections in the east of Poland
The 400 kV Kromolice-Patnow power line was constructed during a record-breaking period of one year by the consortium of Eltel Networks Olsztyn S.A
The 400/110-kV Kromolice substation plays an important role in the national power supply system as it provides the power supply for the southeastern part of the Poznan area and the central part of the Wielkopolska region
Its construction included the transmission line connections toward Plewiska and the Rogowiec-Trebaczew line
These circuits made it possible to close a ring of Poland’s most important domestic 400-kV grid
This system has made it possible to counteract the results of major power supply failures
and its construction facilitates the development of the 110-kV distribution network to cover the foreseeable power demand
The Kromolice substation is located in a key position in the transmission system with links to the Patnow
With the construction of the new transmission lines
this substation will bring system security not only to the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship region but to the entire country
The location of the substation was determined by the existing
favorable configuration of the highest-voltage transmission and distribution lines
with an area of 11.2 hectares (27.7 acres)
was constructed remotely from any residential development
The complete 400/110-kV Kromolice substation was constructed by SAG ELBUD Gdansk S.A
These major investment projects ensured reliable power supply for the UEFA EURO 2012 tournament
PSE made a total expenditure of some PLN 1 billion (US$312 million)
The projects made it possible to supply electric power to the host cities of the tournament with a guaranteed reliability of supply
PSE has shown the national power supply system was able to operate in normal conditions during the EURO 2012 tournament and is rightly proud of the goals established for the TSO were achieved
Marek Grochowski ([email protected]) is a graduate of Warsaw University of Technology and has worked for PSE S.A
he has gained valuable experience in project management
He supervises the management of investment projects in the west area of the Polish power system
Marcin Laskowski ([email protected]) is a graduate of Warsaw University of Technology
has an executive MBA and is a certified project manager
He joined PSE GK in 1998 and later moved to GK PSE
Laskowski specializes in power infrastructure investments in his current position as director of the investment department at PSE S.A
BE SELPOL | www.selpol.pl
ELFEKO | www.elfeko.pl
Eltel Networks Olsztyn | www.eltelnetworks.com
PBE ELBUD Katowice | www.elbud.katowice.pl
PBE ELBUD Warszawa | www.elbud.waw.pl
PILE ELBUD | www.pile-elbud.pl
PSE | www.pse.pl
SAG ELBUD Gdansk | www.sagpolska.pl
ZWSE Rzeszow | www.zwse.rzeszow.pl/en
Rescuers search after a building collapsed burying several people in Swiebodzice
Poland: A pre-World War II apartment house collapsed Saturday in southwestern Poland
Scores of firefighters with dogs continued to search the rubble of the building in the town of Swiebodzice (Shvyeh-'boh-tchi-tseh)
the two upper floors of the three-floor building might have collapsed due to a gas explosion
A team of construction experts were to investigate the cause
The rescue management center said the body of a sixth victim was found late Saturday
Prime Minister Beata Szydlo arrived late Saturday at the site
to talk with the victims and the rescue workers
"I got on top of those planks and started calling 'Help
Help!' Two firefighters came and pulled me out by the arm."
"I don't know what has happened to him," she said