US-based Westinghouse Electric Company and Bechtel have welcomed the announcement by the Polish government that it will allocate PLN60bn ($15.7bn) to finance the country’s first NPP.
Bechtel is overseeing the design and construction of Poland’s first NPP alongside Westinghouse Electric Company. In November 2022 the Polish government selected the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology for construction of the plant at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Choczewo municipality. In May 2023, an agreement was signed defining a plan for delivery of the plant by Westinghouse, Bechtel and Polish utility Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ). Poland’s Ministry of Climate & Environment in July 2023 issued a decision-in-principle for PEJ to construct the plant.
In March 2024, Bechtel awarded its first procurement contracts for the construction. The Ministry of Climate & Environment in July issued a decision-in-principle for PEJ to construct the plant, and PEJ then applied for a permit to start preparatory works at the site. In September, Polish Undersecretary of State for Strategic Energy Infrastructure Maciej Bando launched the formal process to request European Commission approval for financing. The government has meanwhile been working on legislation to allow it to “inject” funds into PEJ. The aim is for the first AP1000 reactor to begin commercial operation in 2033.
The announcement came as the partners met with key stakeholders in Warsaw and Gdansk to showcase project progress and reaffirm their commitments to economic development and community engagement. In Gdansk, local authorities were briefed on the latest project milestones, including in-depth geological surveys underway at the construction site that provide critical data to advance project planning. The project is being implemented by Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), a company owned by the Polish state, at the Choczewo commune site in Pomerania.
The government announcement on funding came as the partners met with stakeholders in Warsaw and Gdansk to review project progress and reaffirm their commitments to economic development and community engagement. In Gdansk, local authorities were briefed on the latest project milestones, including in-depth geological surveys underway at the construction site that provide critical data to advance project planning.
“Energy security is national security. The United States is proud to be Poland’s closest partner, and most trusted friend, in the clean energy transition,” said Mark Brzezinski, US Ambassador to Poland. Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse President & CEO said the project “will drive more than PLN100bn of economic impact in Poland, creating tens of thousands of jobs during construction and the many decades of operation to come”.
Craig Albert, Bechtel President & COO also affirmed the economic opportunity afforded by the project, “including new jobs, the training of a skilled nuclear power workforce, and the establishment of a supply chain with substantial participation by Polish companies”. Earlier this year, Bechtel signed agreements with Gdansk University of Technology and Warsaw University of Technology to launch new Nuclear Energy Career Development Programmes to help prepare the workforce for Poland’s emerging nuclear power industry.
Researched and written by Judith Perera
