Poland’s nuclear power company, Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe (PEJ) has signed an agreement with the US firms Westinghouse and Bechtel on setting up a design and engineering consortium for the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Poland.
The NPP, Poland’s first, is to be built in the northern region of Pomorze using Westinghouse technology.
Anna Moskwa, Poland’s climate and environment minister, who attended the signing ceremony on May 25, said the deal was an important step in the development of Polish nuclear energy.
“The agreement allows preparation for the next stage, which will involve design and engineering work, with a relevant deal to be signed this summer,” Moskwa said.
She added that additionally Poland would set up a training centre so that Polish companies could also be involved in the project, Moskwa added.
According to her, the US company Bechtel will be the contractor in the project.
Mark Brzezinski, the US ambassador, said that Poland and the US had forged a partnership “to ensure Poles a clean, safe and affordable energy.”
In November 2022, the Polish government approved a resolution on building large-scale NPPs in Poland, confirming the selection of Westinghouse as the technology provider for the first Polish nuclear power plant.
The country’s first NPP will be built in Lubiatowo-Kopalino, a coastal location in the north of Poland, and the construction cost has been estimated at $20 billion (EUR 19 billion).
The first reactor should start working in 2033 and subsequent reactors will be constructed every two years. (PAP/Business World Magazine)