What goes in Poland on 29th of August.
Talks on a Polish nuclear center
Poles are talking with the Americans about the construction of a nuclear power plant in Pomerania with a special emphasis on a center for training personnel for the entire region. The parties are also talking about a design agreement, which will determine the parties’ financial contribution.
„Nuclear energy and the creation of a Training Center for Clean Energy Technologies, which will support the training of personnel and competencies based on Polish-American cooperation, are the topics of the meeting between the Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa, and the Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska, with the US ambassador to Poland Mark Brzeziński,” the Climate Ministry said in a statement.
„The partnership between Poland and the United States in making the energy security of the region stronger and more strategic than it has never been,” Minister Łukaszewska – Trzeciakowska tweeted.
The training centre is to be established in Warsaw and will train staff for Westinghouse projects in Poland and throughout the region. The company will also build reactors in the Czech Republic, Romania and Ukraine. It was given the green light to use AP1000 technology at the first nuclear power plant in Pomerania, which is to consist of three reactors. The firm is seeking a contract for three more in a second location that has yet to be selected.
Apart from the talks on the center, the parties are also discussing the design agreement between Polish Nuclear Power Plants and Bechtel-Westinghouse, which determines the cooperation terms on Poland’s first NPP, including the financial responsibilities and contribution of state institutions as well as Polish and American banks. There is still no decision on this issue, although originally it was supposed to have been made before the summer holidays. At this point the signing may happen before or after the October election.
Ministry of Climate and Environment / Wojciech Jakóbik
There is a way to end the dispute between the US and Korea over the atom in Poland
South Korea’s KHNP, which is interested in building a nuclear power plant in Pątnów, may pay an advisory fee to the American Westinghouse responsible for the atom in Pomerania, which accuses the Koreans of not having the rights to transfer the technology to Poland.
The Korea Economic Daily reports that KHNP is likely to ask Westinghouse whether it could pay the Americans a technical advisory fee as part of the agreement. The newspaper also reports about the fact that the Korean company from PGE PAK Energia Jądrowa has applied for a decision-in-principle to the Polish government on the 17th of August, and reminds that companies which receive such a decision in Poland may count on continuing their project.
The dispute concerns APR1400 technology, which was developed by the Korean KHNP in cooperation with the American company Combustion Engineering, then acquired by Westinghouse. This company is to build the first nuclear power plant in Poland with AP1000 technology and when in October 2022 the plan to build another NPP in Pątnów was revealed, Westinghouse complained about the technology used by the Koreans.
KHNP told BiznesAlert.pl it had full rights to his technology. The Americans argue that its transfer to Poland would require the approval of the US Department of Energy under the license of Combustion Engineering. The dispute went to international arbitration, but the Korea Economic Daily News suggested the possibility of a settlement.
Korea Economic Daily / Wojciech Jakóbik