Today, in Arkady Kubickiego in Warsaw, a project agreement was signed between Polish Nuclear Power Plants (PEJ) and the American companies Westinghouse and Bechtel on the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Pomerania. The document brings us closer to the implementation of this project.
The project agreement is the next key stage of the investment in Poland’s atomic endeavor. Thanks to it, it will be possible to start construction work on the first nuclear power plant in Pomerania, which will be built by PEJ, Bechtel and Westinghouse by 2033. Its goal is to adapt the world-proven American technology to the location in Lubiatowo-Kopalino.
„At a time of geopolitical turmoil, cooperation in the construction of this power plant is of fundamental importance. Today we are talking not only about energy security, the latest technologies, but also about security in the broad sense of the word. Today, we are taking this decisive step towards energy independence from countries that are unstable,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during the signing of the agreement between PEJ and the consortium of companies Westinghouse and Bechtel in Arkady Kubickiego.
„Today we are signing the contract on the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland. This nuclear power plant cements Polish-American cooperation in three fields: security energy and in the economic field,” he stressed.
„We have ambitions to rebuild the entire Polish nuclear sector. Today we bring in specialists from all over the world. This Polish-American friendship, cemented today by the nuclear power plant, is developing on many levels. It is a multi-threaded cooperation that gives impetus to the development of the entire country. Thanks to this, we will also provide security to other countries,” the PM said.
„The consistent, planned fulfillment of the established schedules and the scope of the agreement concluded today are testament to our determination to build the first nuclear power plant in Poland on time, on budget, with the optimal use of Polish industry,” said Anna Łukaszewska – Trzeciakowska, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure.
It should be mentioned that last week the Director General for Environmental Protection issued an environmental decision for the nuclear power plant in Pomerania. The document specifies the terms of use of the environment during the implementation and exploitation of the facility, the requirements on environmental protection that need to be taken into consideration in the project documentation, requirements on preventing the impact of industrial breakdowns, and it imposes the obligation to re-evaluate the impact of the project on the environment as part of the construction permit procedure.
Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe reports that within the framework of the concluded agreement, Westinghouse and Bechtel, in cooperation with Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe, will design the first Polish nuclear power plant. To achieve this goal, nearly 2 million working hours and the support of the best specialists in the industry are needed. The project includes the main components of the power plant, i.e. a nuclear island, turbine island and associated facilities and auxiliary equipment, as well as administrative buildings or infrastructure related to the safety of the facility. The main objective of the conceptual project is to define the requirements and design criteria, define the norms and standards according to which the Polish nuclear project will be implemented. As a result of the engineering works of this stage, more than 400 final products will be created.
„A similar reactor AP1000, which is a reference project for the Polish investment, is already operating in the United States. Six units of this type operate worldwide, and more are being built in China. The Polish nuclear power plant will be based on the latest experience of Westinghouse and Bechtel, resulting in particular from the construction of the Vogtle 4 nuclear power plant, in which improvements were made to the previously launched Unit 3. Experienced employees implementing the project in the USA will also be involved in the activities for the planned power plant in Pomerania. Engineering works will focus on adapting the project to technical and regulatory requirements applicable in Europe and Poland,” a press release said.
„The provisions of the agreement regulate cooperation in the field of carrying out the processes of obtaining subsequent permits, including the development of a technical specification for the preliminary design of the planned nuclear power plant in Pomerania reflecting the elements of the installation used, so that it complies with the required performance parameters. It will also be the basis for another agreement covering the next phase of construction of the first Polish nuclear power plant,” PEJ said.
PEJ, Westinghouse and Bechtel want to build three AP1000 reactors and the first is to launch in 2033 at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in Pomerania. KHNP, PGE and ZE PAK want to build two APR1400 by 2036 in Pątnów, Greater Poland.
Jacek Perzyński
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