Hanna Trojanowska, government commissioner for nuclear energy, announced on 16 March the results of a survey carried out by a panel of experts on the siting of future nuclear power plants (NPP) in Poland. The survey identified Zarnowiec, located on the Baltic Sea 40km from Gdansk, as the best location for the first NPP to be built in the country by 2020. This site is near the site of Baltic NPP, which is currently under construction in the Neman district of Kaliningrad
The panel of experts took into account different criteria such as geology, public acceptance, availability of cooling water and ease of grid connection in order to select the best locations. However, in the end it is up to Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE), the largest power company in Poland, to decide where it wants to site any nuclear power plants, in which it would hold a 51% stake. The selection of sites is part of a four-stage plan, which includes the adoption of a legislation in 2010, the selection of sites and technology and the definition of construction arrangements in 2011-2014; the drawing of technical plans and site work plans in 2014-15; and the construction of the plant from 2016 to 2020
PGE estimates it will cost EUR3 billion to build the 1000MW plant.
.Nuclear new build will contribute to reducing the country’s reliance on coal, which currently accounts for 90% of Poland’s electricity production. In addition, over the last few years Poland has experienced significant economic growth and electricity consumption is expected to rise by 80%-93% by 2025.
In January 2009, a Resolution on nuclear energy was adopted that specified that electricity would be generated by one or two nuclear power plants by 2020. The government policy is for nuclear power to account for 10% of total electricity generation by 2030.
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