"Simple communication is really important: using clear messages to explain the challenge we are trying to address" - interview with Zofia Michlowicz (PNEC)

This interview represents PlanHeat’s mid-term project story. In the interview, Zofia Michlowicz from the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités” (PNEC), one of the youngest members of the PlanHeat project team, speaks about the first project results, including the Handbook on Effective Engagement of Citizens and Stakeholders in Local Heat Planning, and reflects on what she values most about the transnational cooperation among the PlanHeat project partners.

Zofia, Could you please introduce yourself, your role at PNEC, and your role in the PlanHeat project?

My name is Zofia Michlowicz, and I work as a project manager at the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités” (PNEC). In PlanHeat, our work focuses mainly on public participation and stakeholder engagement. As part of the project, we prepared a handbook that combines practical knowledge with good examples on how to design and implement participation processes in local heat planning. The handbook focuses primarily on citizen involvement, but also addresses the role of other relevant stakeholders.

We are also involved in transnational knowledge exchange, including the co-organisation of Local Heat Planning Expert Forums. Through these activities, we aim to bring together different perspectives on local heat planning, discuss the key topics addressed by PlanHeat, and exchange views with experts on both our work and the wider subject of local heat planning. So, in short, that is my role and PNEC’s contribution to the PlanHeat project.

You mentioned that PNEC is a network association in Poland. Could you tell us a little more about your organisation’s work, both beyond PlanHeat and in relation to local heat planning?

We are a network organisation, the Association of Municipalities, and for more than 30 years, since we started in 1994, the organisation has been cooperating with local governments. The main focus of this cooperation and our work with municipalities is shaping a low-carbon economy, with a focus on energy efficiency, renewables, as well as education — energy education and environmental education. We cooperate with many municipalities all over Poland, as well as with partners outside of Poland. We have supported the Covenant of Mayors since 2009, and we support cities in local energy planning, for example in preparing SECAPs.

As a network organisation, I think it is really important to facilitate the exchange of experience. I think this is why people join networks: to talk to other people. We prepare best-practice solutions, and we organise seminars, trainings, study visits and conferences. We also prepare publications and other materials that can be useful when talking about climate protection, environmental education and energy planning. We work with local municipalities to support their needs in these areas, because municipalities are really important when we talk about the energy transition and climate protection. A lot of work happens there, so we try to support them.

Speaking of municipalities and how you support and collaborate with them in PlanHeat, you are working together with the cities of Bydgoszcz and Konin to test different local heat planning solutions. What makes these two cities special when it comes to energy-efficiency-related initiatives in Poland?

Yes, I think they are really quite exceptional when it comes to these topics. Bydgoszcz and Konin are both members of our association, and I think they are strong examples of municipalities that are genuinely interested in the energy transition and climate protection. They are different, yet at the same time similar.

Bydgoszcz is implementing many solutions in the fields of climate protection and environmental protection. There are transport solutions, adaptation solutions and, of course, many energy-related solutions. Bydgoszcz has an excellent energy management team that implements energy efficiency measures in buildings and has developed a very modern energy data management system. I think that is very interesting. The city also has a district heating network and solutions that are still quite rare in Poland, such as a waste incineration plant. With over 300,000 inhabitants, Bydgoszcz is a good example of a large city working towards climate neutrality and energy efficiency.

Konin is a bit smaller and used to be a mining region, and now it is working very strongly towards renewables, energy efficiency and clean energy. They even have a city motto in Polish: “Konin, tu płynie energia”, which I would translate as “Konin, where energy flows.” So even in its communication, the city is very much focused on energy. Konin also has a geothermal plant, which opened only recently. It also has a waste incineration plant, so both cities have solutions that are exceptional for Poland and show their strong commitment to the clean energy transition.

In PlanHeat, Konin and Bydgoszcz could be described as pilot partners, or at least as cities where solutions developed within PlanHeat are being tested. Which measures are you currently testing or implementing in the two cities?

We are working together with Konin and Bydgoszcz, but also with the fourth Polish partner in PlanHeat, the National Energy Conservation Agency (NAPE). The main focus in both cities right now is the implementation of a user-friendly data collection method for local heat planning, which was prepared by NAPE. These guidelines on how to prepare, provide and access data are, I think, very well written, and the cities are currently implementing them to gather the data for the plans they are going to develop. This is one part of the work, focusing on data.

The second part will start soon, but some preparatory work is already being done. Following the guidance of the Lead Partner of PlanHeat, the Magistrate of the City of Bremerhaven, the cities will be working on the implementation of the handbook on citizen involvement. This means preparing educational campaigns and working on involving citizens and other stakeholders in discussions about the future of heating.

You mentioned the Handbook on effective engagement of citizens and stakeholders in local heat planning, which will be tested in Bydgoszcz, Konin and other PlanHeat municipalities. Since your organisation is the main author of this handbook, could you summarise its key findings and explain what may be relevant for other municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region?

Yes, of course. We tried to prepare the handbook in a way that it serves as an introduction for everyone. It starts with some context on why local heat planning is important, why it matters at European level, and how the situation looks in each country taking part in PlanHeat. Then we provide practical information on how to structure the engagement process: how to map stakeholders, understand what stakes they hold, and identify their interests in the process. Based on this understanding of the stakeholders, we explain how to involve them at different levels. Some stakeholders need to be engaged very actively and consulted in depth, while others may mainly benefit from information campaigns.

We also pay particular attention to methods. The handbook includes a collection of methods and tools for engaging citizens and stakeholders, together with good practice examples gathered from the PlanHeat countries and partners. Another important aspect is the benefit for the organisation implementing the engagement activities. I think it is very important to see citizen participation and stakeholder engagement not only as a duty, or something that has to be done because it is required by a European directive, but as a process that can make planning stronger, more feasible and more accepted by the community. Engagement does not end once the planning phase is over. It should continue after the plan has been prepared, in order to communicate both challenges and successes to the public and create a lasting communication channel.

In your personal view, what are the most effective stakeholder engagement measures in local heat planning? You can name one or two examples from the handbook that you would recommend as best practices for municipalities across the Baltic Sea Region.

I think everything should start with communication, using the channels that the municipality already has to talk to citizens and other stakeholders. In our handbook, this is presented very nicely through the example of Konin, which has continuously implemented communication and information activities to engage with citizens. This has been done through educational projects, by involving young people, older citizens and different municipal companies, including the municipality itself, the district heating and the company responsible for waste management. So, it is a very broad range of activities, but they use many resources they already have, such as municipal events, websites and newsletters.

Another good example in the handbook is the local heating plan of Rostock, a city in Germany. Rostock prepared a very wide-reaching campaign. The city not only set up a working group with multiple stakeholders, which held several workshops and meetings, but also organised wider meetings with broader audiences for consultation. It is not really one single measure, but a holistic approach that engages multiple people and organisations to work together towards a common goal — in this case, the local heating plan.

Staying with the topic of stakeholder involvement, do you have practical or project-related experience with stakeholder engagement, including beyond local heat planning? If so, what have been the main challenges and positive experiences in these activities?

I think that simple communication is really important: using clear messages to explain the challenge we are trying to address and the proposed solutions in a way that everyone can understand. This helps to make sure that each participant is on the same page and can contribute. I also think that matching communication methods and engagement tools to the target group, and to the very specific conditions of the municipality, is really important. It is necessary to understand their needs and why they want to participate in the process. Sometimes different approaches are needed to reach the target group.

For example, we had projects connected with energy poverty, which is quite a sensitive topic. It is not easy to reach people who are affected by energy poverty directly. We worked with different organisations and people who already work with those affected by this problem, and through them we managed to get in direct contact. So sometimes it takes a few steps to reach the people you are interested in. I also think that, particularly when working with young people, gamification can be very useful. For example, we have projects where we work with young people on energy communities and with children on climate solutions for schools. In such cases, it is interesting to present the problem in a fun framework, so that people become more involved in solving it.

What are your thoughts on the decarbonisation of Poland’s heating sector? Do you see progress, and what do you think should be done in the future?

I think that, in general, decarbonising the heating sector is challenging in every country, because there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It cannot be tackled only from the top down, because heating solutions differ in each region. Some municipalities have district heating networks, while others do not. So, this problem has to be addressed very individually. I think this is both a challenge and an opportunity, because each municipality can decide what is the best pathway.

As I said, decarbonising the heating sector is a very challenging topic, but I think there is strong progress in Poland. Recently, we saw for the first time a project of a public strategic document called the Strategy for the Transformation of the Heating Sector by 2040. It was recently subject to public consultation. This is the first strategic document that addresses the district heating sector, and I think it is very important. Poland is also working on the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive, which includes local heating and cooling plans. I hope this will be developed in the near future. As we know, the legislation is overdue, but I hope it is coming, and that the situation regarding local heat plans will become clear soon. So yes, I think there is progress. I can also hear it when I attend events: everyone is talking about the decarbonisation of heating and cooling and about the need to tackle this problem quickly and seriously.

Going back to PlanHeat, the project is now approaching its mid-term phase. What have you liked most so far about this transnational cooperation between partners from seven Baltic Sea Region countries?

The aspect I see as a very strong asset is the different perspectives that various people bring to the project. I think it is really interesting and thought-provoking to see how municipalities from different parts of Europe are similar in their needs, and where they differ. It is also a good opportunity to learn from each other. For example, Germany is already quite advanced in heat planning, while Poland is not yet as advanced but faces similar challenges to countries such as Lithuania or Latvia.

From the municipal perspective, I think it is also useful to see how larger and smaller municipalities face different challenges. For example, in larger municipalities, the challenge may be to extend the district heating network, while in smaller ones, the challenge may be to maintain the network at its current size because people are migrating to bigger cities. It is really valuable to learn from each other. From my perspective, this is the strongest point of the project: sharing expertise and learning from one another.

We have spoken about the internal benefits of project cooperation. But what do you think will be the benefits of PlanHeat for the participating countries as a whole after the project ends? What will be the real long-term value?

I think the solutions we have prepared on data collection and access, technical issues, capacity building and learning within municipalities, public participation, and the regulatory and legislative side of local heat planning will be very useful. All this knowledge and experience is being gathered together and tested to make sure that it works in real-life conditions. I think this will be useful for the participating countries as a case study of how local heat planning can be done. Stakeholders will be able to learn from our municipalities and replicate our solutions in different regions.

As we are gathering expertise from a wide group of municipalities, organisations and other stakeholders, I think the outputs will be interesting for everyone connected to local heat planning. I hope they will be useful and help people prepare plans for the future that support a quicker decarbonisation of the sector.

Looking at Europe as a whole, where do you see the heating sector in the coming years? Do you think it will become more renewable and resilient in light of current challenges, geopolitical tensions and price shocks?

Yes, I do believe that Europe’s heating sector will become more renewable and resilient, because I do not really think there is any other way for it to exist in the future. This is not only because of the climate, fuel prices, the need to become more independent, or the need to use our own resources. It is also because this is simply a better solution for people. Decarbonization can provide cleaner energy, cleaner air and, hopefully, make everyday life easier.

This is how I see a modern heating sector: one that makes it comfortable for people to live under changing climate conditions, while allowing them to reduce their energy costs and rely more on local resources. The challenges are there, and it will be a difficult process. But I hope that everyone involved understands that we have to implement these better solutions to make our lives better.

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