Two reactor vendors–AREVA and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy–have announced new memoranda of understanding with Polish organisations in preparation for the country’s first nuclear power plant project. Both agreements have an important focus on training and skills development.
Polish utility PGE seeks to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant by 2025. Last month the utility signed a letter of intent with three other state-owned firms to potentially collaborate on the project.
GEH said 4 October, that its cooperation agreement with Warsaw University of Technology focuses on ‘future nuclear workforce development and other innovation opportunities.’
It is the latest in a series of MoUs with Polish universities, which are aimed at developing a pool of nuclear engineers and skilled workers to build and operate future Polish nuclear plants. GEH has also lined up various other companies to participate in a potential Polish project including Fluor Corporation as EPC partner, engineering firm Energoprojekt Warszawa, and potential component manufacturers Stocznia Gdansk and RAFAKO.
AREVA and EDF also signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Energoprojekt on 4 October. Their cooperation will mainly focus on delivering knowledge and expertise as well as promoting skills and development to build a robust Polish nuclear supply chain.
The French team has already confirmed that a significant part of the new power station works would be open to Polish suppliers. The anticipated supply chain market would represent at least 50% of the total value of the investment, and possibly even more, depending on the level of Polish companies’ nuclear qualification, AREVA said in a statement.
Tarik Choho, AREVA vice commercial chief officer, declared: “The signature of this agreement with Energoprojekt will help to strengthen the supply chain set up by AREVA and EDF, and enable us to make the best possible offer for the construction and operation of nuclear reactors in Poland. At the Olkiluoto 3 construction site in Finland, 25 Polish companies are already involved in the project. This constitutes a solid base on which to build to realize a significant part of the future reactor project work in Poland.”
