The Polish Prime Minister visited Canada on the occasion of the signing of the agreement between Ontario Power Generation and Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSEGE) on small nuclear reactors. A special center with an SMR reactor simulator is to be built, and perhaps Canadians could help manage reactors in Poland.
OPG plans to build the world’s first small-scale BWRX-300 reactor from GE Hitachi. It is scheduled to be built in 2028 in Darlington, near Toronto, Canada. Poland’s OSGE is working with Canadians to implement this solution in Poland with a bold plan to build the first such reactor on Polish territory by 2029 at a location hitherto shrouded in mystery.
The OPG-OSGE agreement expands the cooperation between these businesses as it adds building competencies and training personnel, especially with regard to the experience of Canadians operating nuclear power plants. This is especially important since it is the Canadians that are responsible for the safety of such facilities.
„The agreement represents another step in the existing relationship between the companies and builds on previous agreements between OPG and OSGE. The document we signed today aims to conclude new agreements in the future, on the basis of which OPG and its subsidiaries could provide operating services for SMR reactors for OSGE as part of the plant to launch SMRs in Poland and other European states,” explains Orlen Synthos Green Energy.
The agreement also provides for the construction of a European Training Centre for Nuclear Energy Personnel, including with the support of the Łukasiewicz Research Network Institutes. The center is to house a simulator of the BWRX-300 reactor. It is not known where it will be located, but rumor has it may be Warsaw. It is scheduled to be launched in 2027.
„I am here in Canada, not far from Toronto, in the province of Ontario – in the place where the management of this company cooperating with a Polish SMR company told me that the first SMR reactor in the world will be built here,” said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. „This reactor will have a capacity of 300 MWh. It should be ready in 2028,” he added.
„I spoke with global SMR technology leaders that joint ventures in the latest technologies and cutting-edge energy innovations are not only possible, but happening before our very eyes,” summed up the Prime Minister.
OSGE reminds that it signed an agreement on cooperation and financial support with OPG, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) aimed at accelerating the deployment of a small modular reactor GEH BWRX-300. As part of this agreement, the four companies are investing in the development of a standard design of a complete BWRX-300 power plant and a detailed design of key components. The design will be used in many projects, which will speed up their implementation and reduce costs.
„The first BWRX-300 reactor is being built in the Toronto suburb of Darlington, and construction is expected to be completed in 2028. Preparatory work is currently underway. For OSGE, this is a reference project, which is why the company cooperates with the OPG group. The Polish company and the subsidiary of OPG, Laurentis Energy Partners, have a Master Services Agreement supporting the implementation of the SMR reactor fleet construction project in Poland. It was signed in October 2022 by Ontario Energy minister Todd Smith during his visit to Poland,” the company stated.
OSGE / Wojciech Jakóbik