Designer of Polish NPP chose contractors

US nuclear reactor designer Westinghouse has selected seven Polish suppliers to support the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant. This is one of the stages of preparation for the implementation phase of the project. Polish companies will also help Americans abroad.

Westinghouse has announced it had chosen seven Polish suppliers to support the construction of the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site. The companies are Polimex Mostostal Siedlce, Baltic Operator (Baltic Industrial Group), Mostostal Kielce, Mostostal Kraków, ZKS Ferrum, Famak and Energomontaż-Północ Gdynia. In addition, these companies are supposed to help the Americans in other projects in the region.

“The cooperation between Poland and the USA spans many years of history. But never before have we been as close as we are now, working together in the nuclear and security sectors. Poland must have a strong nuclear-powered energy system. Without it, there can be no talk of security,” said Mark Brzezinski, the US ambassador to Poland, during a meeting with journalists in Warsaw on Tuesday. “Nuclear power is an essential safety net. It will also be a great incentive to accelerate the development of the economy,” he added.

“Our biggest task now is to build the supply chain. The reactor is 100% designed and we want to transfer it to Poland in the same form. We are constantly researching the availability of components for its needs in the region. We want most of them to be built in Poland,” said Joel A. Eacker, Westinghouse’s Vice President for New Plant Projects.

The Polish project is implemented by Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe, a state-owned company that is responsible for the implementation of the Polish Nuclear Energy Programme (PPEJ). The first three AP1000 reactors, i.e. generation III+ units with completely passive safety systems, modular design and the smallest building area per 1 MWe of the reactors available on the market, will be built at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino location in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. The first reactor in Pomerania is expected to start operating in 2033.

Jędrzej Stachura