Contract signed for pre-design work for first Polish plant

In November 2022, the Polish government selected Westinghouse for the country's first nuclear power plant, as it sets out on an ambitious plan to embrace nuclear energy in the country.

The following month, the companies signed an agreement setting out next steps, including site-layout, licensing and permitting support, engineering services contracts and procurement and construction planning services.

PEJ and Westinghouse have now signed a Bridge Contract, which covers works in ten main areas, including: development of a detailed delivery model; preparation of a security assessment and a quality programme; and also identification of potential suppliers with a focus on Polish companies. Westinghouse will prepare a list of requirements necessary for the execution of the investment, including adjusting the AP1000 technology to meet all the local regulations. The contract also assumes the preparation of the principles of external financing for the project.

"The signed contract makes it possible to commence the first works preceding the design before the conclusion of the very time-consuming process of agreeing the execution contract," PEJ said. "This type of solution is a result of lessons learned from other nuclear projects around the world. This will makes it possible for the pace and schedule of activities to be maintained."

"The contract that we are signing is another important milestone of our investment," said PEJ President Tomasz Stępień. "Thanks to the contract, together with our American partner, we can already start the first engineering works on the power plant, which will be built in Pomerania."

Westinghouse President and CEO Patrick Fragman added: "Today's agreement is a major step by PEJ that brings Poland closer to implementing the most advanced nuclear technology to ensure energy security and a stable supply of emission-free and affordable electricity. We are all working hard to successively work out more agreements that are so important for Poland and for Poles."

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 as part of Poland's plan to reduce its reliance on coal. According to the adopted schedule, the construction of the first nuclear power plant will start in 2026, with the first reactor, with a capacity of 1-1.6 GWe, being commissioned in 2033. Subsequent units will be implemented every 2-3 years.

The coastal towns of Lubiatowo and Kopalino in Poland's Choczewo municipality in the province of Pomerania have been named as the preferred location for the country's first large nuclear power plant.

Meanwhile, Poland's 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.