Poland: agreement on the construction and other nuclear power plants

Polish Ministry of Energy has signed an official agreement with state-owned companies Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) and Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) on the division of responsibilities and principles of cooperation in preparing for the construction of the country's second nuclear power plant

According to the provisions of the new agreement, the PEJ company – which develops the first Polish nuclear project on the Baltic Sea coast – will act as investor and the main project coordinator, while PGE, the largest domestic electricity producer, in cooperation with potential technology suppliers, will prepare preliminary feasibility studies and site analyses. According to the updated national nuclear program adopted by the Polish government at the end of September, the key preferred locations for the new plant are Beuhatov (Bełchatów) – where the largest European coal-fired power plant is located – and Konjin (Konin), due to the already strong grid infrastructure.

The selection of an international strategic and technological partner is planned for 2027 through a competitive dialogue in which bidders from the USA (Westinghouse), France (EDF) and Canada (AtkinsRéalis) participate. As a reminder, the original plan from 2022 for cooperation with the South Korean company KHNP formally failed last year – probably due to the mutual agreement between KHNP and Westinghouse, who for decades had a dispute over the license for KHNP's reactors.

Otherwise, regarding the future Polish power plant, according to the new timeline, the start of construction of the second plant is planned for 2032, and its reactor with a capacity of 1.0-1.6 gigawatts is expected to be commissioned around 2040. Parallel to that, at the first nuclear power plant in Lubjatovo-Kopalino (with a capacity of 3,750 megawatts – three AP1000 reactors) the planned commercial start-up of the first unit has been moved to 2036.

In other words – Poland, despite certain delays and changes to the timelines, remains firmly committed to the strategic replacement of coal with nuclear energy.

Sources: World Nuclear News / Notes from Poland

S.A.