Poland, US firms finalise deal to design first nuclear power plant

U.S. firms Westinghouse Electric and Bechtel have signed a contract with Poland’s state-owned Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) to continue designing the country’s first nuclear power plant, following the expiry of a previous agreement at the end of March.

Poland, which is striving to reduce its dependence on coal, selected Westinghouse in 2022 to construct the facility on the Baltic Sea coast, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Warsaw has put the estimated cost of the project at 192 billion zloty ($51 billion).

"I believe it's the start of a long-term nuclear cooperation between the United States and Poland that will involve building future reactors, both here in Poland and with other nations across Europe," U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said during the signing ceremony.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that he and Wright had also discussed the future of small modular nuclear reactors and further collaboration on liquefied natural gas (LNG), with Poland continuing to rely on U.S. LNG supplies to diversify its energy sources.

Although the design contract has been finalised, PEJ must still conclude an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with the builder. However, this process hinges on securing European Commission approval for 60 billion zloty ($16 billion) in public aid allocated to support the project.

Poland is aiming to obtain the European Union's approval by the end of the year, enabling construction of the plant’s first unit to begin in 2028. The facility is now scheduled for completion in 2036, four years later than originally intended.

The nuclear power plant, which already has financial backing from U.S. and Canadian institutions, is expected to be fully operational by 2040.

By Aghakazim Guliyev