Progress in environmental permitting of Polish SMR projects

Tuesday, 11 February 2025

In April 2023, Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) announced it had shortlisted seven locations in Poland for further geological surveys to host small modular reactor (SMR) plants based on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's (GEH's) BWRX-300, for which it holds the exclusive right in Poland. The locations were: Ostrołęka, Włocławek, Stawy Monowskie, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Nowa Huta, Tarnobrzeg Special Economic Zone and Warsaw.

OSGE submitted applications later that month to the Ministry of Climate and Environment for decisions-in-principle on the construction of power plants at six locations, omitting Warsaw from the list. The ministry issued decisions-in-principle for the six plants in December 2023. The decision-in-principle is the first decision in the process of administrative permits for investments in nuclear power facilities in Poland that an investor may apply for. Obtaining it entitles OSGE to apply for a number of further administrative arrangements, such as a siting decision or construction licence.

OSGE submitted an application to the General Director for Environmental Protection (GDOŚ) in May 2023 to determine the scope of the report on the environmental impact of the construction of the Stawy Monowskie plant. Later that year it also submitted applications for the planned plants in Ostrołęka and Włocławek. In February 2024, GDOŚ issued a decision specifying the requirements for the project in Stawy Monowskie. 

GDOŚ has now issued the scope of the environmental reports for the Ostrołęka and Włocławek projects. It said the main areas that the reports will cover include: conducting a nature inventory; the impact of the project on various components of the environment; technological solutions related to cooling systems; and a description of the systems, components and organisational and technical solutions that have an impact on ensuring nuclear safety and radiological protection.

The time needed to prepare such a report is estimated at about two years, OSGE said.

The issuance of the GDOŚ resolutions was preceded by obtaining the opinions of the relevant environmental protection and public health authorities, OSGE noted. These are the opinions of the Minister of Climate and Environment, the President of the National Atomic Energy Agency, the President of PGW Wody Polskie, as well as the relevant state provincial sanitary inspectors.

In accordance with the precautionary principle adopted in the European Union countries, recommendations on the application of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment - commonly known as the Espoo Convention - in the transboundary context in relation to nuclear energy-related activities, transboundary proceedings were conducted. The relevant case documentation was transferred to Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus. OSGE said Ukraine did not express interest in any of the proceedings, while the Lithuanian side applied for participation in the transboundary proceedings only in the case of Ostrołęka.

The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH's US Nuclear Regulatory Commission-certified ESBWR boiling water reactor design and its existing, licensed GNF2 fuel design, a unique combination that GEH says positions it to deliver an "innovative, carbon-free baseload power generation source" this decade.

In December 2021, GE Hitachi, BWXT Canada and Synthos Green Energy (SGE) signed a Letter of Intent to cooperate in deploying BWRX-300 SMRs in Poland. OSGE - a joint venture between chemical producers SGE and PKN Orlen - submitted an application to Poland's National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) in July 2022 for the assessment of the reactor design. PAA announced in May 2023 that the BWRX-300 is compliant with Polish nuclear safety and radiological protection standards.