Poland’s Minister of Climate & Environment, at the request of utility Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), has issued a fundamental decision formally confirming that investment in Poland’s first NPP is in the public interest and in line with state energy policy. This document entitles PEJ to apply for further administrative decisions, such as siting and construction permits.
The application submitted by PEJ in April included a description of project including maximum total installed capacity, planned operation time and the technology. The Ministry says the documentation is in line with strategic government documents, including the 2022 resolution of the Council of Ministers, which indicated the need for a NPP with a capacity of up to 3750 MWe in the Choczewo or Gniewino and Krokowa communes, using US AP1000 reactor technology. The planned investment constitutes the implementation of the Polish Nuclear Energy Programme, is consistent with the Polish Energy Policy to 2040 and in line with the objectives of the European Union's climate policy.
Poland has ambitious nuclear power development plans. In September 2021, it was announced that six large pressurised water reactors with a combined installed capacity of 6-9 GWe could be built by 2040 to reduce its reliance on coal. Construction of the first 1.0-1.6 GWe plant was expected to start in 2026 for commissioning in 2033. Subsequent units will be implemented every 2-3 years. The towns of Lubiatowo and Kopalino in Choczewo municipality in the province of Pomerania were named as the preferred location for the first plant. In November 2022, the government announced the first plant, with a capacity of 3750 MWe, would be built in Pomerania using Westinghouse AP1000 technology. An agreement outlining a plan for delivery of the plant was signed in May by Westinghouse, Bechtel and PEJ.
In addition, ZE PAK, Polska Grupa Energetyczna and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power have signed a letter of intent to cooperate on a nuclear power plant project in Patnow, in central Poland, assessing the viability of building South Korean APR1400 reactors on the site.
Applications have also been submitted for small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland. In April, copper and silver producer KGHM Polska Miedź SA applied for a decision-in-principle on the construction of a NuScale VOYGR SMR power plant in Poland. Orlen Synthos Green Energy has applied for a decision-in-principle on the construction of SMRs based on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300 at six locations.
Image courtesy of Ministry of Climate & Environment, Government of Poland
