A new modern warehouse, which will hold geological core and samples from the whole Poland, will soon be built in Leszcze in the Kłodawa Commune, Wielkopolska Province. The new development of the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute (PGI-NRI) will cost almost 28 million złoty covered from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.

On the 18th of October 2018, a press conference was held in Leszcze, during which the director of the PGI-NRI, dr Tomasz Nowacki informed about the details and time schedule of the proposed development. Witold Czarnecki and Leszek Galemba, members the Parliament of the Republic of Poland as well as Waldemar Marciniak, president of the management board of the Kłodawa Salt Mine also attended the event. The new repository will secure space for geological core and samples for the next 30 years.

During the conference, dr Tomasz Nowacki presented concepts of the future Geological Core and Sample Repository and its operation. The high-storage warehouse with an area of approximately 7 500 m2 will house up to 1 million core and sample boxes. A modern core logging room as well as laboratory and technical facilities will be used for logging and testing rock samples. The centre will also serve educational and conference purposes, both for geologists and the local community. The building will be equipped with a modern heating system using low-temperature geothermal energy. Thus, it will be both environmentally friendly and support the use of geological resources. Rock core and samples from other repositories of the PGI-NRI as well as collections which belong to the State Treasury but are stored by PGNiG and LOTOS will be transferred to this central store.

Visualisation of the warehouse of the Geological Core and Sample Repository in Leszcze as well as the laboratory and technical facilities (source: presentation of the National Geological Archive)

The decision about building the repository was made in 2012, while the agreement with the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management was officially signed on the 8th of July 2014.

Director of the PGI-NRI, dr Tomasz Nowacki (in the middle) and the guests during the press conference about the development of the Geological Core and Sample Repository (photo: Mariusz Kozajda, Kurier Kolski)

The facilities currently available in Poland, including the existing National Geological Archives of the PGI-NRI in Leszcze, do not have sufficient capacity to keep more core and samples. There are over 800 000 core boxes, and every year over 23 thousands of new boxes are delivered. The new warehouse is therefore very much needed.

Location of the Geological Core and Sample Repository (source: Presentation of the National Geological Archive)

See also: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvRr-9wBnhM

Photos and video recording: Mariusz Kozajda from Kurier Kolski
Visualisation was prepared by the National Geological Archive (PGI-NRI)

Translated by Tomasz Żuk