
The TEAD Ukraine project recently organized an educational tour to Rzeszów, Poland, from June 3-7, 2024. The tour was a unique opportunity for a team of teachers from different parts of Ukraine, who have only recently been trained in our Training of Trainers Programme for energy auditors, to learn from Poland’s experience in energy efficiency, implementation of VDE, conducting energy audits, and gender aspects.
Day 1: Understanding Local Governance and Energy Efficiency
The first day of the tour provided an opportunity to understand the system of local self-government and state administration in Poland, and the responsibilities of different levels of state administration in the field of energy efficiency and energy audit. The team met with the deputy mayor of Rzeszow, discussing the city’s strategy to achieve climate neutrality.
Day 2: Exploring Financing Mechanisms and Energy Efficiency Measures
The second day began with a meeting with representatives of the Marshalkiv Administration of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. They discussed the financing mechanisms and government support programs for implementing energy-efficient projects. The team also visited two apartment buildings and a public building (kindergarten), where they observed energy efficiency measures implemented in these buildings.
Day 3: Visiting Water Supply and Sewerage Enterprise
The third day started with a meeting with the management and technical staff of the water supply and sewerage enterprise, MPWIK Rzeszow. The team visited cleaning facilities and got acquainted with the implemented measures with the EE and VDE. They also visited the water treatment plant and discussed gender dynamics and strategies being implemented at the company to improve the working conditions of women employees.
Day 4: Trip to Kraków
The fourth day began with a trip to Krakow. The team had two interesting meetings: one with a practicing energy auditor, who talked about the features of conducting energy audits of buildings in Poland, and another with the head of the NGO Kraków Smog Alert, who are working very hard in reducing air pollution throughout Poland from coal burning.

Day 5: Visit to PGE Incinerator Plant
The last day of the training trip was spent at the PGE incinerator plant. The plant, which is one of the 21 plants of this company that burns garbage in different cities in Poland, has state-of-the-art garbage burning technology.
The tour was not just about learning; it was also about building relationships. Alena Yatsenko, one of the participants, expressed her excitement about the opportunity to meet, gain experience, and chat about everything in the world. Antonina Sytiuk from the Ministry highlighted the practical benefits of the project for Ukraine and appreciated the joint efforts that made the project meaningful.
The TEAD Ukraine Study Tour in Poland was indeed a journey of learning, collaboration, and mutual growth, paving the way for green reconstruction of energy infrastructure destroyed by the attacks by the russian regime and for an energy-efficient future of Ukraine.