BiznesAlert.pl determined that a meeting, after which the final decision on the Polish atom will be made will take place on April 17. It is also a confirmation that at least until now its fate will remain uncertain – Wojciech Jakóbik, the editor-in-chief of the portal, writes.
That’s the climate we have
The decision to start a nuclear program was made formally with the adoption of the Polish Nuclear Power Program adopted by the resolution of the Council of Ministers of January 28, 2014. A special purpose vehicle PGE EJ1 was established. Since then, the program has stopped at the stage of environmental research in potential locations. The current team has recognized that nuclear power may be important in Polish climate policy. It was used in talks with the European Commission.
Piotrowski’s model
However, to implement this project, you should spend tens of billions of dollars. Although such estimates are pointless without a specific project on the table, the Ministry of Energy even says about PLN 75 billion. The current government decided that the old formula assuming the entry of investor capital that would later be the owner of the project (build-own-operate) is inappropriate. He was to present a new model, which was discussed in BiznesAlert.pl and deputy minister of energy Andrzej Piotrowski. He became a victim of cutting jobs in public administration ordered by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Nevertheless, he does not give up work with the government. He appeared at the EuroPower 2018 conference under the patronage of BiznesAlert.pl. It is not known whether this means that the government has yet another task for him to perform, for example the management of a new special purpose vehicle, which would be created to implement Piotrowski’s model. He assumes that the Poles themselves will finance the atom. The Polish Development Fund has already applied for funding.
Everything is prepared, but the final decision is missing. This may also result from the party’s scuffles, which began at the tops of power. Minister Krzysztof Tchórzewski assured at the EuroPower 2018 conference that the ministry of energy is ready for work. – A nuclear power plant is a difficult investment because it is one of the most expensive ones. In this area, if this project ultimately comes out to us, then as far as the average emission is concerned, in the perspective agreed with the European Commission, ie after 2040-45, we will not be different in relation to other medium-sized European Union countries – said the Minister quoted by BiznesAlert.pl. This year, a decision on the construction of a Polish nuclear power plant is to be made. It is necessary if Poland wants to keep the agreements with the European Commission – he added in an interview with journalists in the lobby.
The last chance meeting
The plan is breakneck, because if it is supposed to pay off, it must have the effect of scale, which will appear only after the construction of two or three large blocks. Meanwhile, the government is tempted by the prospect of a lighter program using SMR technology, which has not yet been implemented. The report of the Supreme Audit Office on the problems of the Polish nuclear program shows that if it is not implemented, Poland will find it difficult to achieve the objective of reducing CO2 emissions set in the European Union’s energy and climate package.
So it’s time to decide. The government is to settle the fate of the atom after April 17, when there will be an internal meeting on this subject. It is worth posting to the market a decisive signal about the Polish Nuclear Power Program.