Additional power outlets are making it possible to help refugees in Przemyśl and Medyka.

Employees of PKP Energetyka have prepared special power points to make the daily work of services and volunteers, and thus help tens of thousands of refugees, easier and safer. The Customs Clearance Pavilion in Przemyśl and the point in Medyka are two of four reception points operating since the beginning of the war in the Subcarpathian region.

The switchboard at the Customs Clearance Pavilion in Przemyśl:

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, there has been an uninterrupted flow of refugees crossing the border via the Medyka - Mosciska rail and road crossing. The combined forces of local authorities, including the Przemyśl City Hall, Border Services, Fire Department, Police, ZHP, Caritas and many other individuals and organizations have been supporting refugees crossing the border into Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

As of Feb. 24, the amount of energy needed to serve visitors was too much for the capabilities of the existing installation in the pavilion. Maintaining the right temperature in the halls and underpasses, especially during nighttime frosts, heating meals, charging electronic equipment - all of this required a steady and reliable power supply. Seeing the huge demand for power points and the overloading of the available installation, the staff of the Przemyśl Service District of PKP Energetyka, reported the need for an adequate, secure power supply point.

"We immediately asked PKP Energetics to help us secure the appropriate power connections. Decisions on both sides were made "here and now," and the installation work was completed in a matter of hours. As a result, all the groups that work with us here, including: volunteers, scouts, representatives of the Polish Red Cross, the Territorial Defense Forces, use the energy provided by PKP Energetyka," - says Wojciech Bakun, president of Przemyśl.

"Together with the City Council, we decided to prepare a new power point that would provide more power than the existing installation at the Pavilion. We immediately made a switchgear to supply temporary infrastructure facilities with multiple connection points, protected by residual current and overcurrent devices," explain Wieslaw Chrzastyl and Lukasz Wegrzyn, employees of PKP Energetyka, the initiators of the action. The switchgear was fed from PKP Energetyka's substation.

Energy point in Medyka

The need to secure the supply of electricity also arose when the reception point was put into operation right next to the border crossing in Medyka, where, apart from the grassroots building of a disused railroad station, there was no adequate power infrastructure. Employees of the Przemyśl Service District again rose to the occasion and prepared an electricity reception point in the form of a temporary electrical switchgear, supplied from PKP Energetyka's overhead transmission network. Once again, care was taken to ensure the full safety of powered consumers by building in appropriate safety apparatuses and plug sockets for the switchgear. "Thanks to the fact that we have power, we can charge our equipment, drink warm tea and move on to action," says Anna Kamela-Pawluczyk, a scoutmaster of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (ZHP), a volunteer working at the Medyka crossing.

"We are happy that we could give our contribution and support the difficult work of so many people and organizations that help refugees day and night. We are employees of PKP Energetyka, but most of all we are residents of the region - neighbors, colleagues. We help together, especially in such a difficult situation, which requires uniting around a cause that is important to all of us," adds Piotr Michalski, an automation technician and employee of the Przemyśl Service District.

Participating in the action on the part of PKP Energetyka were: Wiesław Chrząściel, Łukasz Węgrzyn, Kazimierz Kolano, Grzegorz Wawro, Grzegorz Kusina, Janusz Wołowiec, Piotr Michalski, Janusz Matuszek