Polish Nuclear Power Plants (PEJ) together with Bechtel and Westinghouse have signed an agreement on an American design consortium and an engineering services agreement. It regulates the division of duties between the Americans and the preparation of the NPP project in Pomerania.
The Bechtel-Westinghouse-PEJ agreement concerning the nuclear power plant in Poland. Picture by Wojciech Jakóbik.
The project consortium agreement describes the division of responsibilities between Bechtel, operator of nuclear projects, and Westinghouse, the supplier of AP1000 reactor technology, which are to jointly build the nuclear power plant in Poland, in Pomerania.
The engineering services contract involves Bechtel and Westinghouse in early project preparation, so the process is streamlined to meet the plan to build the first reactor at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in 2033.
The project agreement between PEJ, Bechtel and Westinghouse will be signed in autumn 2023. In addition, the financing model and the share of Americans in the shareholding of Polish Nuclear Power Plants remain to be determined. The government is also to adopt a resolution on a decision-in-principle expressing political support for the plan to build the NPP in Pomerania.
„A consortium is being born that will design and build the first nuclear power plant in Poland,” said Łukasz Młynarkiewicz, President of Polish Nuclear Power Plants, about the Bechtel-Westinghouse cooperation agreement concluded in Warsaw.
„This team will put the project to work for decades,” said Westinghouse CEO Patrick Fragman. „Our Bechtel-Westinghouse team, working with Polish Nuclear Power Plants, will bring all the experience from the existing Vogtle power plant project in the USA to ensure the smooth implementation of the project in Poland,” he assured. According to him, the Americans will ensure the participation of Polish companies in the supply chain for the nuclear project.
„We know you had a choice, so thank you for your trust,” said Craig Albert, President and Chief Operating Officer of Bechtel Group. „There is no energy transition without security of supply,” he addded.
Wojciech Jakóbik
